• Globe Telecom has blocked more than 9 billion spam messages since 2022 amid a nationwide cyber fraud crisis
• It has adopted a multi-layer strategy, including real-time fraud intelligence sharing and blocking person-to-person messages containing hyperlinks
• Globe is now preparing for the rise of AI-driven scams with machine learning-based fraud prediction and deepfake detection capabilities

Philippines-based network operator Globe Telecom has blocked 9 billion spam messages and identified some 145,000 fraud-related SIM box operations since 2022, the telco’s VP of cybersecurity innovation, Thomas J Smart, noted during the recent Asia Tech Singapore event. 

 Scams and cyber fraud are a persistent problem in the Philippines: According to a report from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) published in late 2024, the Philippines lost as much as $8.1bn over a 12-month period to messaging fraud, with the Filipino victims losing, on average, $275 to scammers. 

Explaining the nature of scams in the Philippines, Smart said: “Fraudulent activity includes phishing attacks over different channels like SMS, phone and email, and often scammers make fake one-time password requests or urgent bank alerts… to trick victims into providing access to financial accounts. There have also been cases of account takeover with SIM swap fraud, where scammers gain control of a victim’s phone number by reporting the SIM lost or stolen. In addition, fraudsters exploit multiple other channels like social media and messaging apps to carry out the fraud.” 

The extensive and massive fraudulent activities mean that the traditional detection methods are no longer enough to address the challenge, so Globe Telecom adopted a proactive and multi-layered approach to protect its 60.9 million mobile subscribers. 

Collaboration, whitelisting official aggregators, and more 

One of the key initiatives adopted by Globe was to collaborate with the government and the private sector to share fraud-related data for detection and prevention. “We signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bankers Association of the Philippines to establish a more collaborative approach to intelligence sharing. The MoU allowed [Globe] to share fraud-related data with banks” to help with fraud detection and prevention efforts, noted Smart. 

The telco also collaborated with the Philippines Central Bank, which opened the way to Data Sharing Agreements with the member banks, as well as with financial institutions and digital wallet operators. “To date, we have signed with 11 partner organisations and are in talks with several more,” he added.  

In addition, it whitelisted the official aggregators of its partners, ensuring that only authorised entities are able to use their partners’ registered sender IDs when broadcasting SMS messages, a move that resulted in a reduction of spoofing attacks. The operator also blocks messages containing keywords – as reported by its partners and their customers, as well as those identified by its own machine learning models – that appear in scam messages. 

Blocking certain person-to-person messages 

In 2022, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, Globe Telecom decided to block all person-to-person messages that contained a hyperlink URL.. “This was controversial at the time, but we believe that the benefits outweighed the perceived disadvantages,” stated Smart. Globe’s approach was validated when, in 2023, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) directed all service providers to block text messages with clickable links to prevent fraud. 

In line with this strategy, Globe also removed links from its own SMS broadcasts to customers. “We still deliver legitimate application-to-person or ATP messages with links, provided that the sender IDs are verified and whitelisted,” added Smart.

A key pillar of Globe’s strategy is to educate users, including children and senior citizens, to remain vigilant and to ensure internet safety. It also runs a #StopSpam portal to make it easier for users to report scam messages. 

The AI challenge

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a tool both for scammers and for telcos. “Scammers are turning to AI and this has been increasing at an alarming rate. Examples include deepfake voice and video attacks, where attackers clone voices or create virtual avatars to impersonate company executives, bank officers and even family members,” noted Smart. 

As a result, Globe Telecom needs to expand its “security capabilities to include AI fraud prevention and use machine learning models to predict and stop fraud before it reaches our customers,” noted Smart, adding that Globe is “actively researching and testing cybersecurity innovations” to proactively address the new challenges. 

Ultimately, though, Globe believes collaboration and the sharing of fraud intelligence continues to be critical and central to anti-fraud efforts.  

- Gagandeep Kaur, contributing editor, TelecomTV