Dear Partner,

We're excited to announce enhancements to our A2P SMS messaging services designed to strengthen security and combat fraudulent activity. Starting July 1, 2024, we'll be implementing a more secure URL policy for A2P SMS.

To ensure your client’s campaigns continue running smoothly, we kindly request you to nominate the specific Sender IDs (SIDs) you wish to authorize for sending SMS messages containing URLs. After July 1st, any SIDs not nominated for URL use will be restricted from sending messages with URL content. Additionally, SIDs authorized for sending URLs must adhere to our guidelines. SIDs found to be non-compliant will be restricted from sending messages with URLs.

Registration Procedure

To simplify the process of authorizing SIDs that will be sending messages with URLs, we'll be providing a file containing a list of Sender IDs with active traffic under your account. You can add additional Sender IDs to this file as needed.

This file will be sent to you by May 27, 2024, and will contain additional details about your nominated Sender IDs that you will need to complete:

• URL Inclusion: Indicate whether this Sender ID will be authorized to send messages with URLs (Yes/No).
• Message Purpose: Specify the primary purpose of the messages (Promotions, Transactional Notifications, Customer Feedback, Content Sharing).
• Sample Message Content: Provide an example message containing all potential URLs you intend to use with this Sender ID. (Be sure to include all possible variations of URLs you plan to use)
• Company Name: Enter the company name associated with the Sender ID owner.

For future SID registrations, we will also be sending you an updated LOA to incorporate the additional information. All Sender ID registrations beginning June 1, 2024 should be using this updated LOA.

We understand that this change affects many, and we are committed to providing assistance and support throughout the lead time. For your convenience, we have included an FAQ section in the appendix and will soon upload it in the client dashboard for clients to see common questions and concerns related to this policy change. If you have further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we work together to enhance the security and integrity of our messaging services.

FAQ

• Please fill out the file that will be sent to you. For any questions, please reach out to us.

• Starting July 1, 2024, only Sender IDs nominated to send messages with URLs will be allowed to include them in their messages. However, Sender IDs sending messages without URLs will be unaffected.

• While registering your Sender ID/s is a step toward allowing URLs in your messages, our security measures will ensure that no fraudulent URLs will be permitted.

• Our system will either email your registered email address or our support team will send a notification to your account managers. Please allow 10 business days for the assessment process, though this duration may vary based on submission volume. For any updates, kindly coordinate with your account managers. Alternatively, you can check the status of your SID inside the client dashboard by the end of June 2024.

• We only allow legitimate and non-malicious URLs in your messages. URLs leading to the partner's official website or other trusted domains are generally permitted. However, URLs pointing to suspicious or irrelevant domains will not be allowed.

• There is no limit.

• Your application will be notified with a reason for its rejection. You can resubmit for reevaluation, but please make sure to provide proper evidence to resolve the mentioned reason. We will take action based on our findings.

• If you have any questions or require assistance with the registration process or the policy change in general, please don't hesitate to reach out to your account manager.

Dear Partner,

Please be advised that only Person-to-Person (P2P) SMS are affected by the temporary blocking of messages with embedded links from any network as announced by Globe Telecom this afternoon, September 30, 2022.

This directive will not affect Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS or legitimate SMS broadcasts using masked Sender IDs. iSMS maintains its position to recommend and encourage all of its subscribers to avoid using external links as those suspected to be fraudulent will still be automatically blocked.

In a statement released by Globe's Chief Information Security Officer, Anton Bonifacio, with the blocking of sending and/or delivery of P2P SMS with external links, less potent smishing incidents in the coming days will hopefully be expected.

iSMS would like to thank its valued partners for their collaboration and support in the initiatives implemented against smishing campaigns.

Rest assured that efforts to implement stricter protocols are constantly improved.

Reference link:
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/business/2022/9/30/Globe-text-message-link-scam-spam.html
https://www.rappler.com/technology/globe-telecom-temporarily-blocks-texts-website-links-fight-spam-message/

Moving forward, you may request URLs to be whitelisted via our support team support@mobiweb.com.my to ensure they are not masked.

Sincerely,
iSMS Team

Dear Valued Customer (for Philippines SMS),

We are sending you this notice regarding the prohibition when it comes to broadcasting promotional messages beyond 7am-9pm. Considering that the sending of messages is beyond our's control, we will be requiring all our clients under iSMS take note on this.

This notice states that, when it comes to guidelines on the push messaging particularly the Promotional messages, you as the client shall undertake to indemnify and hold free and harmless iSMS and telcos if you send broadcast beyond 7am-9pm and that it is your liabilities if you do so.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
iSMS Team

Dear Valued Customer (for Philippines SMS),

Greetings from iSMS,

Due to the recent incidents of spoofing and sending of malicious SMS, we were tasked by telco partners to implement immediate blocking of the following sender IDs:

Should you wish to continue to send traffic using these sender IDs, we will require the necessary LOAs -- LOA from the Brand owner authorizing iSMS. If there are any other parties involved, the brand should authorized those parties.

Sincerely,
iSMS Team

Dear Valued Customer,

Greetings from MOBIWEB,

Please be informed that a planned maintenance will be held as follows:

Sincerely,
iSMS Team

Dear Customer (for SMS to Philippines),

Please be advised that there have been significant incidents of fraudulent and phishing activities lately causing the Telcos to express concerns.

As such, we will be taking steps to ensure suspicious URLs in such SMS content are masked to protect mobile subscribers. Effective immediately, all SMS message campaigns containing embedded URL shorteners will be blocked.

Moving forward, you may request URLs to be whitelisted via our support team (support@mobiweb.com.my) to ensure they are not masked.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
iSMS Team