Solon calls for investigation into increased text scams

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate on Monday filed a resolution seeking an investigation into the reported spike in text scams in the country.

House Resolution 2393 urged the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology to probe the proliferation of text scams in the country.

Zarate stressed in the resolution that the Department of Information and Communications Technology had the mandate "to ensure and protect the rights and welfare of consumers and business users to privacy, security, and confidentiality in matters relating to ICT."

"The DICT, the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission), and the NPC (National Privacy Commission) should immediately further strengthen their monitoring, safeguard, and regulatory mechanisms to prevent and stop the proliferation of text scams that could affect and/or endanger the lives of the Filipino people, especially during this time of pandemic," Zarate said.

The NPC reported that an organized international or global syndicate was behind the influx of random spam text messages.

The scheme involves sending unsolicited but enticing messages such as jobs with high salaries from unknown numbers, which could then lead to an elaborate online phishing scam where the target mobile users fall victim to fraud.

The NPC already summoned the data protection officers of telecommunications firms, online shopping applications, and banks to report on their spam prevention measures. — DVM, GMA News