Beware of Scammers!

I've been receiving a lot of text messages from spammers lately. I don't know how they got my number, but I am assuming that credit companies have been selling their database to all these people. And really, do we know who these folks are? When I used to work in Makati, we would receive a ton of cold calls in the office - people offering their services, selling this and that. You must admit though that the weekly call from your phone or credit card company, offering you their new promo, does get irritating. I don't even appreciate that they "thought of me" or considered me their "preferred customer." Especially since they call all the time!

So anyway, aside from spammers, I've been getting quite a few text messages and emails from scammers as well. Yes, the ones who claim you actually won something, complete with a DTI permit to boost credibility. But hey, I'm no fool.

I don't understand how some people can fall for these ploys. Here are some tips on dealing with text scams:

• Don't reply if you don't recognize the number.
• Official text messages will not come from an 11-digit private number. If you won something from a particular company, the phone network will assign a special number or alpha code to identify that company. 
• When in doubt, ask someone else! Or better yet, call the publicly-listed number of the company they're supposed to be representing.
• If the text supposedly came from a relative in another country (and you happen to have a relative working overseas), call your relative to check! Chances are, he or she didn't change his or her number. A trick would be to agree on a password. If they need to contact you via text using another number (say, in emergencies), they must provide the password.
• Report scams (and spams) to the NTC.

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The husband of a friend once received a text scam on his phone. He had a little time on his hands and decided to take the scammer for a ride. Here's a screen cap of his conversation with said scammer. I know this has gone viral on Facebook, but I might as well share here for those who aren't on his friend list. Hehe, enjoy.

Posted with permission. Thank you, AG! Click on photo to enlarge.

Beware of scammers! Don't be fooled!