The NBI will look into reports of an alleged phishing scam targeting teachers.
NBI — The National Bureau of Investigation will look into reports of an alleged phishing scam that victimized teachers who have bank accounts with LandBank (Land Bank of the Philippines).
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that the NBI was already looking into phishing of bank accounts on a broader scale but he’s minded to issue a separate directive to the agency in the case of the teacher victims.
According to the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, it received reports that there were teachers who allegedly lost money from their LandBank accounts after transferring their money via online banking. The teachers allegedly lost between PHP 26,000 to PHP 121,000.
The incident had been brought to the attention of the Land Bank of the Philippines and the teachers’ group would report the matter to the Department of Education (DepEd) central office.
DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said that they received reports that the payroll accounts of 3 teachers in Metro Manila, Cavite, and Zambales were hacked, adding that they have coordinated with LandBank for proper investigation of the incidents.
LandBank said in a statement that its systems remained secure. Based on LandBank’s initial investigation, the devices of the teachers were hacked through phishing which compromised their personal information.
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Meanwhile, GCash said on Tuesday that it was looking into reports of digital wallets (e-wallets) supposedly at the receiving end of stolen money from accounts of teachers with LandBank.
GCash Chief Corporate Communications officer Chito Maniago warned that the company was prepared to take action against accounts in violation of regulations.
In an emailed statement obtained by GMA News Online, Maniago said that they’re currently investigating the issue and they’re ready to take appropriate action against accounts that have received illicit funds since their operations were fully automated and traceable.
GCash had since called on users to be vigilant of suspicious calls or phishing messages which may dupe them into releasing sensitive data about their GCash accounts.
Maniago appealed to the public to always practice digital diligence and to be wary of people posing as financial institutions as well as messages, websites, or links asking users of sensitive information.
“We will never ask for your MPIN (mobile pin) or OTP (one-time passwords), nor will we ask you to share it with anyone. Account safety and security is a shared responsibility between GCash and its users,” Maniago said.
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