The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) warned Filipinos of a new scam targeting GCash users.
CICC executive director Alexander Ramos said fraudsters were sending fake emails via Viber and Facebook Messenger, claiming to be from GCash.
The email message reads: “Good day from GCash, we would like to inform you that your account is under review, we request you to verify your account to continually access our eWallet services.”
The email message includes a link where the customer is supposed to provide personal and account details.
“We always advise the public to avoid clicking any links from unknown or suspicious senders,” Ramos said.
“Scammers used to send such links through SMS, but now they have found another platform,” he added.
Ramos said the number of scam text messages declined significantly since the implementation of the SIM Registration Act or Republic Act No. 11934 on Dec. 27,2022.
“The scammers are bypassing our SMS systems by using emails as senders or via social media like Viber and FB Messengers,” he said.
GCash said it blocked 4 million accounts in 2023 and took down 810 phishing sites and 45,000 malicious social media posts.
Some 94 million Filipinos have GCash account and around 6 million merchant sellers and 935,000 small scale community merchants are already on board the platform.
The CICC encourages victims of online scam to call 1326, the hotline of the Inter-Agency Response Center (IARC).