Block, Ignore, Report, Delete or BIRD.
When regularly practiced, these four easy steps offer necessary protection when we receive suspicious messages that can lead to scams.
Lawyer Ana Minelle Maningding, legal officer of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Region 1, issued a warning to the public to be vigilant for suspicious text and online messages that are intended to scam the victim for money and personal information.
She explained that in the Ilocos region, the agency has received multiple reports on different types of scams, including prize scams, especially lottery winnings, parcel delivery scams, identity theft, love scam, job offer or investment scam, phishing scams, and SIM registration scam.
Maningdig said there has been an increased number of reports of identity theft scams this year.
“Recently, we noticed that identity theft is prevalent to the point where scammers are also pretending to be employees of government agencies to scam people offering different services for money,” she said.
The legal officer advised the public to always verify information through the official sites and contact numbers of the government agency that the scammers are pretending to be.
“For prize scams and lottery scams, one of the most effective ways to not get victimized is by asking ourselves, ‘Did I enter a contest?’ If not, it’s safe to assume that it is a scam,” she added.
To avoid being victims of these scams, Maningding advised the public to remember and religiously practice the acronym B.I.R.D which stands for block, ignore, report, and delete.
If a victim receives scam messages, they should block the number; ignore and not interact, reply, and click the links from scammers, report to the NTC or to the police, and delete the message.
“It is so important for the victims to report to us so we can block and remove the numbers used for scamming. This way, we can limit their operations so they can’t scam others,” the legal officer said.
She also clarified that the SIM Registration Act does not automatically block scammers, but rather it gives the telecommunication companies a database so that it is easier for the authorities to track down phone numbers and owners of scammers.
“This really highlights the importance of registering our SIM cards and of course reporting scammers and suspicious messages to us, at the NTC or the authorities so we can block and trace the numbers,” she said.
Victims can report personally at the NTC Region 1 Office in San Fernando City, La Union, through their online complaint page through the link https://ntc.gov.ph/, and through their hotline number at 1682.
In this age of technology, people rely on mobile phones to communicate, work, and do everyday transactions, therefore taking precautions, being vigilant, and being proactive in reporting scams are important steps for safety. (MJTAB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)
