The National Privacy Commission (NPC) said they are already looking into the proliferation of unsolicited text messages that even contain the name of the receivers.
NPC Privacy Commissioner Atty. John Henry D. Naga said they already held a meeting with telecommunication providers in order to discuss measures to counter this.
“The National Privacy Commission is monitoring and investigating the proliferation of unsolicited text messages (texts) from anonymous numbers, with some containing the receiver’s names,” NPC said in the statement released Thursday.
“The NPC held a meeting with the telecommunications providers today, 01 September 2022, where the participants committed to intensify their technological and security safeguards, including the blocking of numbers to curb the surge immediately, among others.”
They also coordinated with the National Telecommunications Commission “to share information and conduct concerted actions to the full extent of our respective mandates.”
Meanwhile, they have invited the public to join a webinar on September 7, 1 p.m. in order to provide information to avoid getting scammed.
“We shall discuss the risks and harms of receiving these text messages, the best practices to protect ourselves from being scammed, and other useful information that we can apply to our daily lives. We invite everyone to join this event, and we hope for your active participation in this initiative,” NPC said.
“Consistent with our thrust to empower our citizens, we urge vigilance in protecting personal data, whether online or offline, especially in activities that require the disclosure of names, numbers, and other information that could divulge our identities.”
Netizens have expressed alarm as they share screenshots of text messages they received from random numbers which contain their name.
“Yung mga scam text messages ngayon sobrang alarming na ah. Dati blinoblock ko lang, pero ngayon pati pangalan ko alam na nila?? Ganito rin ba sa inyo? Kumusta naman yung data privacy natin? Yikes,” ABS-CBN Data Analytics Team Head Edson Guido said in a tweet.
“Ang dami na palang nakakatanggap ng ganitong mga texts at may mga ibang tinatawagan pa. Paano kapag sa susunod hindi lang full name at number natin ang lumabas di ba? Sa sobrang dami ng napanalunan natin kuno sa mga scam na yan, ang yaman na nating lahat.”