Beware: Fake ‘Bangko Sentral’ scam e-mail
A new scam e-mail purportedly coming from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raises alarm.
The e-mail is designed like the previous Nigerian, Western Union scam e-mails in which personal information and bank accounts are gathered that can be used for fraudulent acts and crimes.
“Please beware as this comes from a syndicate using the name of our central bank and our governor to gain information that could be used possibly for fraudulent activities. We request you therefore to disregard this spurious message and to warn your family and friends against this scam,” the BSP said in a statement.
“For the record, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is not in the business of safekeeping money or gold or other valuables for private individuals,” it added.
The BSP through the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has solicited the help of several international agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States to track down, stop and possibly prosecute its perpetrators.
The BSP said recipients of the fake e-mail should report it to the bank at tel no. 523-4832, fax no. 523-6210 or to the AMLC at 523-4421 or 536-7358. ABS-CBNNews.com
The FBI advisory said the scam e-mail informs the recipient that he has received a large amount of money, free of any liens or encumbrances. It asks the recipient to send his full name, address, contact information, occupation, age and sex to mr_tetangco@gmail.com, which is allegedly the BSP governor’s personal e-mail address.
If you receive similar e-mails, the best way to avoid getting scammed is rejecting it, especially if the sender was unfamiliar to you. Just by looking at the e-mail also, you will already know if it’s scam or not.
I got one of those emails a while back. Heh.