The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) and GCash warned of the lottery scam, a new modus victimizing account holders of the electronic wallet provider.
In a statement, PNP-ACG and GCash reminded the public to be careful against so-called lottery scams.
Michelle Sabino, PNP-ACG spokesperson, said the modus operandi of these scams begins with victims receiving notices of winning a grand prize for a competition, lottery, or sweepstakes.
The scammers will send these announcements through email, phone calls, text messages, or social media. To claim the prize, victims are asked to pay for insurance, taxes, bank fees, and courier charges.
The scammers also request personal financial information to verify the victim’s identity, which they exploit to initiate an account takeover.
PNP-ACG and GCash said it is important to carefully inspect any envelopes received from sweepstakes mailers, paying close attention to the details.
They also advise GCash users to never divulge personal information to individuals who solicit it through email, SMS, or phone calls claiming that you have won a prize.
GCash reiterated its warning to users to never share their MPIN or OTP to anyone and to avoid clicking unknown links from websites, emails, or messaging apps.
