Either they are getting more brazen or desperate.
Scam artists have started to identify themselves as the big bosses, no longer mere underlings. They may think that dropping the name of a Cabinet secretary will get people so excited they will not bother to scrutinize the message.
Perhaps identifying themselves as just employees no longer works.
I got this message recently: “Notice from: (DTI) Ur Sim# won Php850,000.00 From: GLOBAL REMITTANCE OF OFW/BSP, To claim your prize, Call me now? Im Sec. GREGORY L. DOMINGO (DTI) permit #5719 S’14”
I was probably fortunate that I was not getting any remittance from an overseas Filipino worker (OFW). That tipped me off immediately that the message was a scam. Domingo announcing a raffle conducted by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) involving OFWs was just too strange.
Even if BSP really had a raffle, I do not think a Cabinet secretary will be the one to inform the winners.
Besides, the Department of Trade and Industry is the wrong agency. It would have been more believable if it said Department of Labor and Employment, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, or Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
I hope nobody got duped. As I keep saying, you cannot win anything without doing something. If you did not join a raffle or fill out an entry form, there is no way you can win even a minor prize.
The package
Another scam that is being recycled is the text message saying: “This is my new roaming number. I have sent a package for you.” A friend was so intrigued he responded to the message and asked what the package was and how he could collect it.
The sender replied he could not explain the details because he was running out of airtime load. That alerted my friend that all the guy wanted was free load.
‘Rebates and charges’
The fraudulent messages to Globe post-paid subscribers have undergone many permutations. “Globe ADVISORY—You have been charged P300 for MMS use and will be deducted on top of your next bill. If this is a wrong charge, and you want to get a refund, text 300 1212 Send to…;” “Globe Postpaid Advisory—You had been charged 300 pesos for texting roaming numbers. To deactivate charges just text 300 1212 to…;” “Globe LTE Advisory: Your postpaid is charged P500 for LTE use. Is this wrong? Text 500 to… for REFUND.”
The original message informed postpaid clients they were going to get discounts on their monthly bill. If recipients did as the messages asked, they would be sending loads to the numbers given. I did not mention the numbers because, as I passed on the messages to Globe, they had probably been deactivated.
If you get such messages, report it through Talk2Globe Chat (http://chat.globe.com.ph), send a message through Globe Contact Form (http://globe.com.ph/talk2
Globenow) or tweet @Talk2GLOBE on Twitter. Include the number, exact message, and time and date of the messages.
‘Gift certificates’
I found out that a message supposedly from Manila Bankers had actually been going around since about two or three years ago. The message said I had “a gift certificate worth P10,280 voucher and benefits,” which I had “to claim and activate today.”
To people who get messages like these, check with the agencies or companies concerned before responding. But do not use the numbers given in the text message because the person on the other end is likely the scam artist himself/herself.
Use the phone book to get the right number. Go online and verify the offers. With many people active on social media these days, you will most likely find out the truth behind your “good fortune.”
Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail [email protected]
