If you received a text message containing links, you better avoid clicking on those links as scammers have gotten more sophisticated with technology to steal money, access to personal accounts and personal data from victims through mobile communication. That being said, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has warned the public about text hijacking, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news article of the PNA. Some parts in boldface…
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) warned the public on Friday that only scammers would send links through the short messaging system (SMS) or text message.
BSP, in a press release, said legitimate banks, e-money issuers, and other financial entities will not send links, even though the messages look like it came from these regulated institutions.
This scheme is called text hijacking that “involves scammers inserting fake messages into legitimate text threads to make them look authentic.”
“These messages often contain malicious links designed to steal access to victims’ financial accounts and are usually accompanied by urgent prompts such as notifications of expiring rewards, unauthorized transactions, or account verification requests to pressure recipients into clicking the link,” it said.
Reports about fraudulent text messages continue to rise, the BSP noted.
This, even as the central bank and other financial institutions have increased their education campaign aimed to inform the public about this scam.
The public is advised to avoid clicking links in text messages or e-mails even if they appear to come from banks or e-money issuers; enable multi-factor authentication to secure accounts and never share personal or financial details with anyone.
If the account has been compromised, contact the bank or e-money issuer through official channels: https://bit.ly/BSPScamAlert
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Where you ever a victim of text hijacking? What do you think government and financial institutions should do to find the scammers and have them all arrested?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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