DRIVING THOUGHTS
In the past few days, text scams popped in my mobile phone like popcorn in a hot pot. Really.
Notifications that I had won ₱860,000 in a raffle, that there’s a ₱5,000, ₱10,000, ₱20,000 bonus waiting for me, and many more, have been popping up in my mobile phone number at least twice a day in the past week. All I have to do is to press a link that’s at the end of the message.
Of course, I did not do that. I’ve read many reports of people getting scammed after they press that link – because now “they” know that the number belongs to a real person. The messages will come one after the other after that.
By now you’d think everyone you know, and every scammer out there, would know that everyone is now aware of those dubious messages to get one to part with a few pesos to get a big cash bonus – all through a link! Unfortunately, not. Even the scammers have created other ways to fool people, and it still finds victims.
The latest online scam which flooded many Facebook accounts last week was directed to a special group of entrepreneurs – those who have small bed-and-breakfast facilities outside of Metro Manila. It involved a woman with many identities who inquired about the availability of a room, completed a resort’s booking form, and then sent an image of her payment for the transaction –through bank transfer or GCash.
Do not be surprised to see a bank receipt with the transaction of the alleged…
