National
Telecommunications Commission orders Caritas Health Shield, Inc. and Center for
Global Best Practices to immediately stop sending spam messages to customers of
Globe Telecom. The order is expected to provide respite to Globe consumers who
constantly receive annoying spam messages.
The order is stipulated in show-cause orders issued by NTC against Caritas and CGBP, relating to separate complaints filed by Globe Telecom against the two companies whose agents and employees are involved in sending unsolicited promotional text messages to Globe mobile customers. The legal action taken by the telecommunications provider against Caritas and CGBP is in line with the telco company’s intensified campaign to combat text spam, prompted by constant customer service complaints on the issue.
Globe specifically asked
the regulatory body to order Caritas, a health insurance company, and CGBP,
which offers various training and seminar courses, the payment of appropriate
fines and penalties for sending annoying text spam to Globe subscribers. Globe
also asked the NTC to permanently bar Caritas and CGBP, its agents and
employees from sending spam texts to Globe customers.
The regulatory body
also ordered the two companies to appear before the commission on July 15 and
to explain in writing within 15 days from receipt of the order why it should
not be administratively sanctioned for such violation.
“The NTC directive
should provide some breathing space for Globe customers who constantly receive
annoying spam messages. Globe will continue to exercise all legal means
possible to ease the burden inflicted on our customers by companies that employ
text spamming as a marketing strategy. Such companies should be forewarned that
similar complaints will be filed against them unless they unilaterally stop
sending annoying spam messages to our customers,” Globe General Counsel Froilan
Castelo said, as he expressed confidence that the case will be resolved in
favor of the telecommunication provider.
According to
Castelo, Globe Telecom is now preparing the filing of separate complaints
against two local business organizations whose agents and employees have been
identified to be the source of text spams. “We will try to get to them in the hope that
we can convince them to stop sending text spams to our customers. We hope our
efforts to reach out to them would result in the resolution of our concern and
they can compel their agents and employees to stop sending text spams to our
customers,” Castelo said. He, however,
did not disclose the identity of the two companies pending formal filing of
charges against them.
According to
Castelo, the filing of charges against the two companies will also serve as a
reiteration of the company’s resolve to minimize, if not eliminate, text
spamming through the Globe network.
Following Globe
Telecom’s campaign to combat text spamming, some text spammers have refrained
from using their company name when sending text spams. A sample of such spam
message reads as follows: “Get cash when you need it. Bank loan for as low as
1.39% reply YES if interested. For details text/call 0926XXXXXXX.”
Castelo emphasized,
however, that while senders of such messages do not directly identify their
respective companies, such practice is still considered text spamming and the
organizations they represent should be held liable.
Early this month,
Globe made available on a company web page a channel through which its
customers can report text spams and text scams alike. Customers simply have to
go to http://www.globe.com.ph/stopspam and provide all the details required.
Numbers that are reported to be source of text spams are first sent warnings
and those that are persistent source of text spams are deactivated from the
service.