12 Christmas scams to watch out for

详细摘要

Here are the commonly launched scams this holiday season

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Christmas is right around the corner, and so are scams. The Philippine National Police (PNP) cautioned the public to be wary of their online transactions and the notifications they receive.

The PNP stressed the importance of verifying the legitimacy of sellers and the products and services they are offering. But scams aren’t just in online shopping anymore; they are in text messages, calls, and even in everyday physical stores.

Here are the usual scams and their tactics to look out for this Christmas.

This device acts like a fake cell tower, blasting messages to devices that connect to its signal. Since it can spoof the sender ID, the messages may appear in existing conversations.

These messages often include links that lead users to a spoofed website with a premise that you have a reward, a deadline to meet, or that your account is at risk of hacking. They ask for your information, passwords, and sometimes, one-time PINs (OTPs). Once given, attackers can make unauthorized transactions.

In 2022, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released BSP Memorandum No. M-2022-015, requiring financial institutions not to include links in their messages and emails. Government agencies and financial institutions also send messages reminding consumers to never interact with links in text messages.

Voice phishing, or vishing, uses calls or voice messages to imitate trusted entities and trick victims into revealing sensitive information, according to the BSP. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) says scammers introduce themselves as a bank, digital wallet, or government agency personnel.

They use the same tactics as other forms of phishing. They conduct “verification procedures” by asking for your information and OTP, which banks and government agencies consistently remind customers to never share.

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