By Anna Valmero
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – Aside from phishing scams on Facebook, uninformed Filipinos also fall prey to text scammers who solicit prepaid cellphone load and money by posing as legitimate promos.
Here are five simple steps advised by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to detect if a text message is bogus or a hoax out to victimize users.
Use of an 11-digit mobile number instead of a special three- or four-digit number to announce that you have won a huge sum of money in a text promo where your number is “luckily” drawn. Legitimate raffles or promo sponsors have a special three- or four-digit code from cellphone networks that are used to register and notify participants via text.
Winning a raffle even without joining one is a big red sign to know that a message, which states that a subscriber has won a brand new car or millions of peso in a raffle by a government agency or a foundation, is bogus.
A subscriber is asked to send a load or deposit a certain amount of cash as processing fee or tax payment before claiming the prize. Never give credit card numbers nor deposit money to a bank account or through money transfer.
A subscriber is rushed to claim the prize. Legitimate sales promotions are required to give winners until 60 days from the date of notification to claim the prizes. Winners of promos with prizes above P500 must be notified via registered mail, and not through text messages according to law.
Text scams use bogus DTI permit numbers. Dubious text promos use bogus DTI permit numbers to deceive subscribers. To verify if a the promo is legitimate, visit www.dtincr.ph or contact DTI Direct hotline at (02) 751-3330. Complaints can be reported to the National Telecommunications Commission
at (02) 921-3251 or 926-7722 or email ospac@ntc.gov.ph.
Related stories:
For Pinoy pet owners, beware of this online scam
Beware of Facebook ‘invitation’ scams
Pinoys warned against sharing ‘chain’ posts on Facebook
Advertising Agribusiness Agriculture Airline Industry Aquaculture Automobiles Banking Car Accessories consumer elec Consumer Electronics Consumer Goods and Concerns Cooperatives Cottage Industries Death Entrepreneurship Filipinos Abroad Food Establishments Groceries and Shopping Centers Handicraft Handicrafts hardware Hardware Solutions Horticulture Internet Livelihood Programs Malls Mass Media and Communications Mobile Phone Industry OFWs Outsourcing Real Estate Software Solutions technology Technology Industry teleco Telecommunications Tourism Transportation Vermiculture Wholesale and Retail
WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
