Text scams can be reported through email: NTC
Text scams can be reported through email, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said Sunday.
NTC Cconsultant Edgardo Cabarios said over dzBB that people can report suspicious texts by sending a screenshot of the text and the number where the text came from to their email kontratextscam@ntc.gov.ph.
Cabarios said that the information of the individual who reported the text scam will be kept “strictly confidential”.
“We assure the public all of that (sender’s information) will be kept strictly confidential. None of that will be exposed. Of course, we will only release the number of the scammer and their message,” Cabarios said.
These text scams come from individuals seeking to earn money through harmful means, he added.
Lawmakers have been holding hearings on how to curb text scams, which began appearing a few months ago.
Cabarios said the NTC is directing telecommunication companies to block and deactivate numbers of text scammers as well as links to malicious websites that gather the private information of their victims.
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) is investigating potential sources of information leaks such as places where people fill up forms, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), lending institutions, mobile wallet GCash, and messaging platforms Viber and Facebook Messenger, Cabarios said.
According to Cabarios, the two solutions to the text scam problem are prevention and prosecution, citing the time when the NTC, the Philippine National Police (PNP), Cybercrime, and Globe caught suspects who sold GCash accounts.
“What this means is that the law enforcement agencies are in close coordination with each other, including NTC, telcos, and other government agencies to catch these suspects,” he said.
Cabarios said requiring the registration of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards through the SIM Card Registration bill would be the best way to stop text scams.
“The only reason they (text scammers) are doing that is because they can hide. But if they can be traced, they will think twice about doing it,” Cabarios said.
Cabarios said once the bill is enacted, SIM cards would be sold by fewer vendors since they will only be sold in areas designated by telcos.
“There will be fewer companies selling SIM cards because based on the SIM Card Registration bill, telcos will have to ensure that the buyers will present their ID there. The vendors will decide if the ID is acceptable or not,” Cabarios said.
“The telcos will be accountable in that area. They will designate the places where the SIM cards will be sold. They will also guarantee that the data will be kept by the companies and will not be sent to others,” he added.
Cabarios said it would also be possible to have “mobile number portability” or to have the same mobile number despite switching to a different network.
He warned the public against clicking links in messages from unknown numbers and from responding to messages asking for money and additional private information.
“Please do not respond (to those texts). Because if no one falls for their modus anymore, they would not be able to earn from it. Then, they’ll soon stop on their own,” Cabarios said.
On Friday, the House approved House Bill 14, also known as the SIM Card Registration Act, on second reading.
The Senate on Thursday also approved on second reading its version, Senate Bill 1310. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
