(CNN Philippines) — Amidst reports of banks sending unsolicited text messages about their products or services, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) issued a public advisory last week explaining the prohibition of such a practice.
The BSP said that it has received complaints and inquiries involving text messages spam promoting bank advertisements, loan offerings, and marketing promotions.
In a statement, the central bank said that the practice actually constitutes a crime under Philippine law. Citing R.A. 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, the bank explained that text message spamming falls under the category of unsolicited commercial communications.
R.A. 10175 defines such practices as “the transmission of commercial electronic communication with the use of computer system which seeks to advertise, sell or offer for sale products and services.”
According to the law, unsolicited text messages are technically allowed if a recipient has given his or her prior consent, or if the primary intent of the message is for service or administrative announcements from the sender to its existing users, subscribers, or customers.
The BSP previously issued a memorandum to all banks and their subsidiaries or affiliates operating in the Philippines reminding them of the law.
Should one receive text message spam from banks, the BSP says that mobile phone users should store such texts, file a complaint with the National Telecommunications Commission, and report the incident to the bank.
