Globe blocks 2 million spam messages in 2 months

Globe Telecom and its automated filtering system has blocked 2 million spam and scam text messages from reaching its subscribers just two months after it launched.Joel Agustin, Globe senior VP and head of service management division, network technical group, says the system averages about 50,000 per day but peaked to over 117,000 in early October when a large portion of the company’s postpaid customers were enrolled to the system.To date, more than 70% of the company’s 2.1 million postpaid customers are supported by the network filtering system, adds Agustin.More than 1,600 numbers have been temporarily cut off from Globe that were identified to be a constant source of spam and scam messages. Their connection will only be restored if users contest the move and show proof they are not text spammers, Agustin explains.Globe’s anti-spam campaign gained momentum last January when it launched a dedicated web where customers can report text spams and text scams alike. Fraudulent users reported for the first time are sent warnings but are immediately blocked from the network if reported twice.READ ALSO: Globe starts anti text spam campaignGlobe said that many of its users have been bombarded with an average of five to 10 spam messages daily.Usually sent using prepaid numbers, spam messages are untraceable and don’t need specific numbers to send messages. For efficiency, spammers target mobile users by texting a range of numbers using USB GSM modems.Yoly Crisanto, Globe Head of corporate communications. argued against numerous reports accusing telcos that they sell numbers to database marketing companies, explaining that Globe “treat customer numbers with utmost confidentiality in line with the company’s security policy,”