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YOU
can’t win if you did not participate in any raffle or
contest; it’s as simple as that.
This was
the advice given by the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) to the public to avoid getting victimized by text
scams that have lately been proliferating anew, with
complaints filed with DTI rising to over 500 in the
first quarter.
Trade
Secretary Peter B. Favila said scammers thrive because
there are people who fall for their modus operandi, even
though they know very well they did not join any raffle
or promo.
So aside
from educating consumers constantly, Favila said the DTI
is appealing to the public to “exercise sheer vigilance
so that perpetrators would be discouraged from keeping
on with their acts.”
The best
way to confront them also, Favila said, is just to
ignore them.
“More
important, consumers should remember that they cannot
win in a raffle or contest, especially one that offers
a very hefty prize, if they have not joined or
participated in any such activity,” Trade Undersecretary
for Consumer Welfare Zenaida Cuison Maglaya said.
Based on
their findings, Maglaya said a text scam usually tells
cellular phone subscribers through short messaging
service (SMS) or text message that they have won a
special prize from a raffle sponsored by a particular
company, government agency or foundation.
Before
they can claim the prize, the alleged winners are
usually asked to deposit money in a bank account or send
prepaid load supposedly as processing fee or tax
payment. After they have kept their end of the bargain,
the culprits suddenly disappear with the money or the
load, often in the thousands.
Text
scams coming from the
Philippines
were reported to have reached overseas Filipino workers
and nationals from various countries.
The
Trade department has received a total of 531 queries on
text scam from January to March through DTI Direct
751-3330.
Callers
who wish to file a formal complaint are endorsed to the
National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the agency
that holds jurisdiction over telecom services.
During
the same period, the NTC blocked 212 subscriber
identification module (SIM) numbers after confirming
they were used to propagate scam messages.
Maglaya
said a text message may be part of a text scam if it was
sent using an ordinary 11-digit cellular phone number.
Maglaya
added that the presence of a DTI permit number is not a
surefire evidence of the authenticity of a sales
promotion because scammers usually give out random
permit numbers.
She said
permit numbers of sales promos based in Metro Manila may
be verified by accessing the DTI-National Capital Region
office web site at www.dtincr.ph or sending DTINCR<space>PERMIT<space><PERMIT
NUMBER> to 2948.
Those
who wish to report a text scam may contact DTI at
751-3330, or the NTC through 926-7722 and 924-4084. The
public may also text DTI<space>REPORT to 2920 (for Globe
and Smart only) or send an e-mail to ospac@ntc.gov.ph. |
