CONSUMER WELFARE & BUSINESS REGULATION

E-mail Scam

DTI warns consumers vs scams

In these times of global financial crisis, scammers incessantly plot dirty tactics to lure their preys - the consumers.

One of these so-called scams is phishing. It is an identity theft scam that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States, according to its Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice.

Phishing scam e-mails are urgent electronic mail requests for personal information that appear to come from a legitimate institution or company. The e-mail links to an authentic-looking web page that is used to trick recipients into disclosing personal information such as credit card numbers, home addresses, and other sensitive financial information. One phishing e-mail scam reportedly lures recipients into making donations to a fake website.

To avoid falling prey to phishing and online scams, the DTI-Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection (BTRCP) reminds consumers to keep in mind the following tips:

Never directly respond to an e-mail asking for personal information.
If you doubt a message’s authenticity, verify it by contacting the institution yourself.
Avoid spoofed sites by entering web addresses directly into the browser yourself or by using bookmarks you create.
Make sure that the web page asking for your credit card information is secure. Look for “https” at the beginning of the URL on that page, which indicates it is encrypted for security. You can also see whether a site is secure by looking at the bottom of your browser’s window for an icon of an unbroken key or lock that’s closed, golden, or glowing. Double click on the lock to display the site’s certificate, and make sure it matches the organization you think you are connected to.
Protect your credit card from theft or loss. Call the bank immediately to block access for lost or stolen card.
If you think you have received a fraudulent spam email, forward it to the National Telecommunications Commission at (+632) 926.7722 or e-mail at ospac@ntc.gov.ph.

Another form of scam is through sales promotion. This happens, most of the time, inside the shopping malls where agents offer freebies such as movie tickets, rice cooker, etc. in exchange of buying something to get the said giveaways.

If the consumer easily falls to their traps, it is already too late before they notice that the price of the items they bought from the assumed sales promotion is three times higher as compared to their price levels in other stores.

With this, the BTRCP warns the public with the following tips:

It is not a giveaway if you are required to buy something in return.
Compare the price of similar items.
Do not easily sign contract/s.
Understand well the terms of the contract.

Moreover, infiltrating via money transfer service schemes has also become a headache to consumers. Money transfer services appear in various sales transactions including buying products through the Internet, paying fees or charges to redeem prizes in a sales promo, once-in-a-lifetime investment, fees for abroad or for recruitment agency representatives, donation for a foundation, or paying fees or charges to get your share from the prizes won by another person, among others.

Secure your money. Be sure that the person to receive the money through a money transfer scheme is the one you are very much familiar with. You have to know the validated complete name, address, or immediate family of the recipient of your payment. If the offer is too good to be true, then it may not be something to believe in.

Meanwhile, in buying products or seeking services via the Internet, the BTRCP precautions the consumers that:

Some money transfer service firms do not guaranty the quality and security of the products you bought.
The true and complete name of the recipient should be written. Do not use alias or pseudonyms in any transaction. Buying from unknown person would not guaranty security on products or services being offered.
In case you suspect that the transaction is a scam, call the money transfer firm immediately.

Another fraudulent practice is through short messaging service (SMS) or text. In most cases, they announce thru text that you have won millions of cash prizes or a brand new car from which you have not joined on such raffle draws or contests.

Here is how to determine if the message is a text scam:

Check the number of the sender - legitimate promos use only three or four digits.
Verify promo. Visit www.dtincr.ph or call DTI Direct at (+632) 751.3330.
Report message and mobile number to the NTC at 926.7722.

With these various forms of scams, everyone must practice vigilance as a well-informed consumer.

Be safe. Avoid scams. Do not be a victim!

Tips on how to avoid being scammed online:

Maintain multiple e-mail accounts. Use an e-mail account for your personal and sensitive transactions and another fake e-mail account for trivial things such as forum registrations, website sign-ups, and interaction with individuals that you do not know personally. Make sure any information attached to the fake e-mail account cannot be traced back to you; use fake names and addresses liberally. This prevents scammers fishing for victims to find out any real data that they can use against you. This also benefits your personal email account because the restrictions in its use severely limits the amount of spam that finds its way into the inbox. A large number of online scams get to people through spam mail.

Do not sign up for every contest you find on the Internet, particularly contests that require you to provide personal information. A lot of online scam perpetrators find their victims through databases gathered from information collecting drives masked under a contest or promo.
Do not be lazy. If there is a bank that is only a few minutes of walking away from your house, go there in person for financial transactions. Don't rely too much on their online services and be on the lookout for fake phishing websites that ask you to update your bank account details and passwords. Keep in mind that if there is a need to update bank account information, banks will require you to do it in person.
If you like to join contests and promos in several places, keep track of everything you have joined and their prizes. Make a ledger if possible. This way, if an e-mail shows up in your inbox telling you that you've won P2M, it will be easier for you to file it under scams.
Lastly, but certainly not the least, do not be greedy and always remember that anything that seems or sounds too good to be true usually is. People do not magically become millionaires for no reason at all and they most certainly do not win it in the same manner. Even people who become millionaires through the lottery had to do some actual work in terms of going out and buying a lottery ticket in person.