PLDT, Inc. and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. will launch three services in 2025 to address scams and improve customer protection.

These include silent authentication, device location validation and improved know-your-customer (KYC) processes, PLDT Enterprise First-Vice President John R. Gonzales said in a statement on Thursday.

Silent authentication will replace traditional one-time password with a more secure method of logging into apps and addresses the rising threat of password interception by malicious actors, he said.

Device location validation allows merchants to verify a user’s device location during a transaction to help detect fraud, while enhanced KYC processes help ensure that transactions are legitimate and secure, he added.

“The Philippines is a mobile-first country,” Mr. Gonzales said. “Today, 64% of transactions here are conducted on mobile devices, and because of the high volume of transactions, the Philippines has become a major target for malicious actors.”

Smart stopped almost two billion malicious text messages from reaching customers in the 10 months to October, while blacklisting almost a million numbers tied to scams.

The PLDT Group said it is also working with government agencies against smishing — a form of phishing attack that targets mobile devices — including the investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of scammers.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave