BSP Warns Public Against Text Scam

Dagupan City (PIA) – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has warned the public of a text scam where an alleged prize winner is asked to first deposit money in a bank account supposedly to cover the tax payment on the prize.

Luzviminda Soriano, deputy director of BSP-Dagupan, said the victim receives a text message informing him that he won a raffle of BSP based on his cell phone number but has to deposit a tax payment before he could claim his prize.

“Nililinaw namin na wala itong katotohanan kaya kapag nakatanggap ng ganitong mensahe ay huwag maniwala. Walang pa-raffle para sa publiko ang BSP,” Soriano said during the KBP Forum held at the PIA-Pangasinan office on Thursday.

She advised the public to immediately report the matter to the police or to the National Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the government responsible for the supervision, adjudication, and control over all telecommunications services throughout the country.

The BSP had also asked the assistance of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to conduct an investigation on the bank accounts used by those involved in this syndicate. Victims could reach the AMLC at telephone no. 536-6085. (MCA/AMM/PIA-1, Pangasinan)