DigitalMall, a local e-commerce platform owned by Digital Solutions Group, has partnered with global mobile threat intelligence firm WMC Global, to provide customers with SpamResponse, a platform to report SMS spam and mobile phishing incidents.
DigitalMall enables South African SMEs and larger, more established entities to establish their online presence without the complexity and overhead associated with building their own platform from the ground up. It enables customers to launch their own e-commerce storefront on its website.
WMC Global's SpamResponse is an app and web platform that allows consumers to report mobile scams and unsolicited messages without having to contact their mobile network operator’s customer service team, or follow a complicated process.
Users will be able to report spam type, message sender information and a full message transcript, capturing the complete customer experience directly from the DigitalMall mobile app.
In adhering to SA’s Protection of Personal Information Act, DigitalMall and WMC Global say they feel it is important for consumers to have a platform that allows them to manage and disclose unsolicited advertisements for products and services.
This new partnership encourages DigitalMall users to take charge of their digital safety and contribute to a cleaner SMS ecosystem.
“We are delighted to provide our users with SpamResponse to report risky SMS messaging and safeguard them from unwanted contact,” says Yaron Assabi, CEO of DigitalMall.
“DigitalMall is committed to supporting the protection of our customers and the fight against SMS spam in South Africa.”
SMS spam experiences a yearly growth larger than 500%, according to a research paper by independent researcher Roger Piqueras Jover.
WMC Global notes spam SMSes are often associated with some sort of fraud. They take a wide range of forms, from the annoying (unwanted subscriptions to legitimate companies’ mailing lists), to the sinister (empty promises by fly-by-night businesses), and everything in between.
WMC Global is a digital compliance firm in North America, which has had partnerships with tier one mobile carriers for the past 15 years, and has offices in London, Sydney and AU.
In response to reported spam, WMC Global conducts investigations to identify cyber criminals and document their illegal activities. It also feeds intelligence back to blocking and filtering partners to improve their algorithms and expose the criminal activity to authorities.
“As a mobile industry veteran with US market-proven SMS spam reporting solutions, we know that millions of spam messages and phishing attacks reach global consumers every day, posing significant security and privacy concerns," comments Ian Matthews, president and CEO of WMC Global.
"Integrating SpamResponse into the DigitalMall app empowers South African users to take action directly, allowing WMC Global to assess potential threats while improving user experience across the board."
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