Text scams are deceptive practices where scammers send misleading text messages to trick individuals into sharing their personal information or clicking on harmful links.
According to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG), 46 percent of all reported fraud cases in the country in 2023 will be related to text scams.
Lawyer Ana Minelle Maningding, legal officer of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in the Ilocos region, said that text scams can take various forms, including:
- Delivery scams: Scammers will pretend to be delivery services and ask for your personal information or payment to reschedule or confirm delivery.
- Identity theft: Scammers will attempt to steal your personal information, such as your bank details, to commit fraud.
- Job offer and investment scams: Scammers will use fake job offers or investment opportunities to trick you into paying fees or providing your personal information.
- Land Transportation Office (LTO) scams: Scammers will pretend to be from LTO to get your personal information or fees.
- Lottery and prize scams: Scammers will say that you have won a lottery or prize and ask for your personal details or fees to claim it.
- Love scams: Scammers will build fake romantic relationships online to manipulate you into sending money or personal information.
- Phishing scams: Scammers will send fake messages pretending to be from legitimate organizations to steal sensitive information from you, such as your credit card numbers and passwords.
- Unknown caller scams: Scammers will call you, pretending to be from legitimate organizations, and try to get your personal or financial information.
“These text messages frequently create a sense of urgency to prompt the immediate action of the target victim,” Maningding said during the virtual press conference of PIA Pangasinan.
She added that red flags for identifying text scams include messages with grammatical errors, sender numbers with 11 digits instead of those used by official organizations, links to suspicious websites, and messages that use the recipient’s name.
Awareness about these and staying cautious can help the public protect themselves from such scams, she said.
“The NTC’s approach, known as the B.I.R.D. strategy, will help us avoid becoming victims of text scams,” Maningding said.
She said the B.I.R.D. strategy stands for:
- Block: Prevent scammers from contacting you by blocking their phone numbers.
- Ignore: Do not respond to suspicious messages or calls, as ignoring them reduces the chance of engaging with the scammer.
- Report: Inform authorities or your service provider about the scam immediately, as this helps them track and address the issue.
- Delete: Remove the suspicious messages or calls from your device to avoid further risks.
“You can report text scams to your nearest NTC office or online at https://region7.ntc.gov.ph/, on the complaints page,” she said, adding, “Here’s what you’ll need to provide: your full name and address, the phone number used for the scam, your contact number and email address, a valid ID card, and a screenshot of the text scam message, including the scammer’s phone number.”
“The NTC assures everyone that your personal information will be kept confidential under Republic Act No. 10173, also known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” Maningding said.
“Victims may also reach out to the NTC’s consumer hotline at 1682,” she added.
Maningding said, “By following the NTC’s B.I.R.D. strategy and sharing it with others, we can protect our personal information and keep ourselves safe from scams.”
Meanwhile, Maningding advised the public not to purchase pre-registered Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards because these could be linked to fraudulent activities or used for scams, potentially compromising personal information and security.
She said there are no reported victims of pre-registered SIM card scams in Region 1, though.
Maningding said, “Remember, staying alert and informed is the key to staying safe in the digital world. So, let’s outsmart these scammers and keep our personal and financial information secure.” (AMB/JCDR/PIA Pangasinan)
