Smart Blocks Almost a Billion Text Scams in Q1

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has blocked more than 955,000,000 text messages related to scams and phishing activities in the first quarter of 2026. It also blacklisted almost 200,000 mobile numbers linked to fraudulent activities from its network.

“Scammers are exploiting devices that imitate legitimate cell towers to send fraudulent messages directly to nearby phones,” said Menardo 'Butch' Jimenez Jr., PLDT Chief Operating Officer and Head of Network. “This is why we continue to strengthen our network defenses while working closely with government partners to help protect our customers.”

Smart, together with its value brand TNT, recently launched anti–text scam awareness videos to amplify the government’s campaign against fraudulent activities carried out using mobile technology.

“Protecting Filipinos from online scams requires strong collaboration across government, industry, and the public,” Jimenez Jr. added. “By raising awareness and strengthening safeguards across networks, we can make it harder for criminals to exploit mobile technologies.”

PLDT and Smart said consumers can spot potential text scams through several warning signs. Fraudulent messages often create urgency—claiming an account will be suspended, rewards points are expiring, or access credentials will be revoked. Others promise prizes or exclusive deals to lure recipients into clicking embedded links.

In some cases, the scams may involve signal hijacking, a tactic that allows criminals to send phishing messages directly to nearby phones.

The method uses devices known as IMSI catchers—rogue base stations that impersonate legitimate cellular towers to trick phones into connecting to them. Once linked, the device can transmit text messages directly to those handsets without relying on the telecom operator’s messaging network. A sudden downgrade from 5G to older networks, such as 2G, before suspicious messages arrive, may indicate the presence of malicious fake cell towers.

The companies urge customers to avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages and to report suspicious texts through Smart’s HULISCAM portal at https://smart.com.ph/huliscam, its verified social media accounts, or the Smart hotline *888.