06 December 2005
Text swindle victimizing one every week
AT least one person in Pangasinan is being victimized every week in so-called text scams, according to the Department of Trade and Industry provincial office.
As a result, the DTI has warned the public anew to ignore any text message they received informing them that they won millions of pesos in alleged sweepstakes draws.
DTI Provincial Director Daria Mingaracal said it is possible there is a syndicate based in Luzon using names of certain companies and networks to perpetrate the scam.
She revealed that a man from Manaoag town came to her office recently to admit having been deceived by people who sent him a text message informing him that he won P8 million in a lottery.
Instead of ignoring the text message, the man texted back and inquired how he could get his prize. The result was he was gypped of P6,000 which he used in buying 20 cell phone cards at P300 each as an alleged pre-requisite before the supposed lottery officials hand him the pot money.
After sending all the numbers of the cell cards, he was asked to deposit P20,000 to a certain bank account allegedly to cover a supposed processing fee. At this point, he decided to check with the DTI provincial office whether there was really such a lottery. He was told that he was victimized by persons involved in a text scam.
Mingaracal said her office had long alerted the people of Pangasinan, warning them that if they were offered money and that the offer is too good to be true, they should ignore it right away.
As a result, the DTI has warned the public anew to ignore any text message they received informing them that they won millions of pesos in alleged sweepstakes draws.
DTI Provincial Director Daria Mingaracal said it is possible there is a syndicate based in Luzon using names of certain companies and networks to perpetrate the scam.
She revealed that a man from Manaoag town came to her office recently to admit having been deceived by people who sent him a text message informing him that he won P8 million in a lottery.
Instead of ignoring the text message, the man texted back and inquired how he could get his prize. The result was he was gypped of P6,000 which he used in buying 20 cell phone cards at P300 each as an alleged pre-requisite before the supposed lottery officials hand him the pot money.
After sending all the numbers of the cell cards, he was asked to deposit P20,000 to a certain bank account allegedly to cover a supposed processing fee. At this point, he decided to check with the DTI provincial office whether there was really such a lottery. He was told that he was victimized by persons involved in a text scam.
Mingaracal said her office had long alerted the people of Pangasinan, warning them that if they were offered money and that the offer is too good to be true, they should ignore it right away.
