
By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, chair of the House Committee on Information and Communication Technology, cautioned the public to remain vigilant amid increasingly sophisticated text scams targeting e-wallet users.
“Marami po sa ating mga kababayan ang nabiktima na ng mga text scams na nagpapanggap na mula sa mga e-wallets. Maging mapagmatyag po tayo sa modus na ito at huwag mag-click ng links mula sa text messages,” Tiangco said.
“Alam naman natin na habang papalapit ang Kapaskuhan, lalong nagiging masipag ang mga scammers,” Tiangco added.
The DICT said that such phishing messages were being sent through a sophisticated device that can track, intercept, and masquerade as legitimate mobile communications.
E-wallet providers GCash and Maya have also advised users to avoid clicking on suspicious links from unknown senders.
“After the Marcos [Jr.] administration’s ban on POGO, scammers have intensified their tactics to target unsuspecting Filipinos,” Tiangco said.
He reminded everyone to remain vigilant and report cybercrime incidents to the Inter-Agency Response Center Hotline 1326. (With report from Mela Lesmoras/PTV News)
-iro