We at DITO are committed to helping ensure the safety, security, and privacy of our subscribers in their use of our services. To this end, we wish to issue this advisory to all our subscribers on the rising threat of cybersecurity attacks such as SMS phishing or “smishing.”

Smishing is a scam where cybercriminals aim to trick you into disclosing sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, account passwords, or account credentials. To do this, these cybercriminals often pretend to be a familiar or trusted source, such as a bank or a service provider, and say that your urgent action is needed to secure a benefit or prevent a threat.

For example, you may receive an SMS from a company whose services you regularly use, saying that your account has expired or has been locked due to suspicious activity. The text then further says that you will need to provide your personal information or click a link to reactivate it. Once you have done so, cybercriminals can use the information you have provided to take over your accounts, steal your money, or infect your device with malware.

To help combat this threat, please consider the following do’s and don’ts in dealing with suspected smishing attempts:

• Do contact the company or organization that supposedly sent the text using an email address, phone number, or website that you know is legitimate to verify the issue.
• Do consider using tools that filter or block unwanted messages or unknown senders. For example, your device may have anti-span functionality that you can use.
• Don’t provide personal or financial data in response to an unsolicited text or at a website an unsolicited message has links to.
• Don’t click on links in suspicious messages.
• Don’t assume a text is legitimate simply because it comes from a familiar phone number.