QUEZON CITY — Customers have recently reported receiving texts from Globe sender ID telling them to click suspicious links to redeem points, a trick the telecom company calls "SMS spoofing" which it strongly warns against.

But as SMS spoofing resurged since last year, especially from the holiday season, the victims are not only regular subscribers.

Globe nagbabala laban sa text 'spoofing'

Globe on Saturday issued a statement saying its sender ID was "used to spread a malicious message" targeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s family and some political personalities, which it clarifies as an another case of spoofing scam. It did not disclose any more specific information about the incident.

"Globe has received reports that its sender ID has been used to spread a malicious message apparently targeting the President’s family or prominent political figures," the statement said.

"Globe wishes to clarify that the said message is a case of spoofing, where fraudsters send unauthorized SMS with a spoofed sender ID to mobile users in a particular area using fake cell towers," the company explained.

In spoofing, scammers use an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catcher to acquire mobile users within a limited radius, downgrading their signal to 2G. Once this happens, the scammers can send SMS through the spoofed contact number or sender ID despite the existence of SIM card registration.

Spoofing messages in this case had bypassed Globe's "anti-fraud filters" and did not need to pass through the Globe cellular network.

Globe warns public vs resurging SMS spoofing ahead of holiday season

Globe said it is coordinating with authorities to investigate the matter.

"Globe is investigating this incident and is working with relevant authorities and other partners to prevent a recurrence," it said.

The telecom company has once again reminded subscribers to neither engage with SMS spoofing senders, nor engage with them by clicking the links, since it's not sending official links via texts.

Globe has also said that it would never send any political message.

"As a mobile network operator engaged in public service, Globe will never send messages of a political nature and does not have any political alliance.  Instead, it is committed to working with the government to achieve shared goals, including inclusive connectivity and a digitally-enabled and thriving Filipino nation," Globe stated.

RELATED VIDEO: