MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom warned mobile subscribers yesterday not to fall victim to a modus operandi involving calls coming from supposed Globe agents asking customers to turn off their mobile phones for network-related updates.
In an advisory, Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said the firm will never ask its customers to turn off their cell phones for any network-related purpose and those who receive such calls should immediately report the numbers used for the call.
Globe issued the warning following a report of an attempt by unscrupulous individuals to extract a ransom payment for a kidnapping that never happened.
According to the unwitting Globe customer, she received a call from someone claiming to be with the company. “He asked me to shutdown my phone for two hours for 3G update to take place. As I was rushing for a meeting, I did not question, but just shut down my cell phone. After 45 minutes I felt very suspicious since the caller did not even introduce his name. I quickly turned on my cell phone and saw several missed calls from my family members and the others were from the number that had called me earlier.”
“I called my parents and I was shocked that they sounded very worried asking me whether I am safe. My parents told me that they had received a call from someone claiming that they had me with them and asking for money to let me free. The call was so real and my parents even heard ‘my voice’ crying out loud asking for help. My father was already at the bank waiting for next call to process the transfer,” the Globe customer said.
Castelo said customers who receive suspicious calls from persons claiming to be Globe agents “should clarify with our customer service personnel.”