PLDT, Smart Blacklist Over 600K Fraud-Related Mobile Numbers on Toughened SIM Reg Controls

PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) intensify the fight against scammers, clamping down on those that use fraudulently registered SIMs to commit crimes.

From January to May of this year, Smart has blacklisted more than 615,788 mobile numbers tied to illicit and fraudulent activities, including spamming and SMShing scams. This number includes all fraudulently registered SIMs, purged through Smart's strict validation process of all SIM registrations.

Additionally, Smart continues to strengthen its SIM registration controls. Since December last year, in compliance with the National Telecommunications Commission’s directive, Smart has implemented enhanced verification mechanisms, including the adoption of “live selfie” and liveness checks, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), facial recognition and matching, disabling of the upload of stock selfies, and verification of registrations before activation.

“We actively collaborate with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and the NTC, our peers in the telecom industry, and other allies from the private and public sectors, to have a comprehensive response to the menace of SMShing and phishing scammers. We remain deeply committed to providing a safe and secure communications platform and digital services for Filipinos,” said PLDT and Smart Chief Information Security Officer Jojo G. Gendrano.

In addition to stricter SIM registration controls, PLDT and Smart have also engaged their provincial distributors, regional dealers, and other trade partners to ensure the security and integrity of the sale and distribution process of Smart SIMs. Likewise, the group’s #BeCyberSmart and #MagingCyberSmart campaign continues to share practical tips on identifying techniques used by scammers to run their fraudulent activities.

If you receive suspicious messages or calls, please report them to cybersecurityincidents@smart.com.ph and cybersecurityincidents@pldt.com.ph or to Smart’s verified and official social media pages - Smart Communications on Facebook and @SmartCares on X - or call our hotline *888.