Online Users Believe Contract Tracing Apps Leak Information, Cause Wave of Spam Texts

Have you been receiving text messages from different mobile numbers offering suspicious job opportunities in the past few weeks? You are not alone.

There are reports that several consumers received tons of job offers in a day through SMS with a link from WhatsApp. Online users shared screenshots of these spam text messages and believed their information was leaked through contact tracing forms and apps.

          

                       

According to news reports, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) is currently investigating the incident on spam text messages as there is “no sufficient information” yet who shall be held accountable with the alleged breach of contract tracing form or apps, chief of NPC’s public information and assistance division Roren Chin said.

Under Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, the act of sending spam or unsolicited text messages is against the law, defined as "the transmission of commercial electronic communication with the use of computer system which seek to advertise, sell, or offer for sale products and services are prohibited.” 

A report said that contract tracing apps did not leak any information, instead, these malicious SMS are fraud campaigns from cybercriminals who engage in SMiShing ( a cyberattack using SMS or text messages to collect the victim’s sensitive information through mobile phones) since almost every transaction is being done virtually.

To protect your information online, do not click on links from unknown messages.