MANILA— GCash on Thursday said it is working with authorities and has ramped up its efforts to protect consumers from the proliferating SMS or smishing scam.

GCash, along with UnionBank, were found to be among the payment portals used by fraudsters when asking money from their victims, according to initial investigation of the National Privacy Commission.

When unsuspecting victims click a spam link that's offering a job, they will be redirected to a Whatsapp chat where they will be asked to pay the cybercriminal either through GCash or UnionBank before earning the promised commission.

"In response to the recent spate of spam messages that mislead customers and direct them to use payment channels like GCash, we have intensified our efforts to educate customers to prevent them from falling victims to scammers," GCash told ABS-CBN News.

It said it added "extra security features" such as the Help Center and Customer Protection Program designed to help customers detect and prevent fraud.

"At the core of our business, we are a payment channel and we will continue to provide a safe and convenient way to provide the services that our customers love," GCash said.

"We are working closely with the NPC and relevant government agencies to bring any fraudulent cyber act to light, be thoroughly investigated and dealt with accordingly," it added.

• Privacy watchdog probes SMS spam; forms inter-agency body vs cybercrimes

The NPC is also investigating telcos, banks and e-commerce sites and their processes in dealing with data aggregators. Telcos are expected to provide the agency information that will help in the investigations.

ABS-CBN has reached out to UnionBank for comment but it is yet to release a statement.

• NTC orders telcos to warn public about text scams, supposed job offers
• Global syndicate likely behind SMS spam phishing scheme, says NPC

To avoid falling prey to cybercrimes, GCash urged consumers to observe the following:

• Never share the MPIN or OTP with anyone
• Do not entertain calls or messages from suspicious sources
• Do not click on links to register for a job opportunity or cash offer
• Trust only legitimate messages from the official GCash site

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