Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Chairperson Junie E. Cua (File photo)
MANILA – Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chairperson Junie E. Cua on Thursday urged the public to rely only on official channels for news regarding the agency amid repeated attempts by online scammers to use his name and that of other PCSO officials and the agency’s logo.
“I urge the public to remain vigilant against scammers who attempt to use the PCSO for their selfish and criminal objectives,” Cua said in a statement.
“Kung hindi po galing sa official social media account ng PCSO o ‘di kaya sa nag-iisang Facebook account ko na Junie Cua, o ‘di kaya sa radyo at TV, huwag po tayo dali-daling maniwala (If it does not come from the official social media account of the PCSO, or from my sole Junie Cua FB account, or from radio or television broadcasts, please don’t immediately believe it).”
He also urged the public to be mindful of “red flags” that could help them detect whether they are being scammed.
“Ang PCSO ay hindi po manghihingi ng sensitive information gaya ng (The PCSO does not ask for sensitive information like) bank records or social security information,” Cua said.
He also warned the public against clicking links sent through social media or text messages, adding that the PCSO does not send “urgent” messages and does not engage in scare tactics.
“For the record po, hindi kami nanghihingi ng pera kapalit ng numero o premyo. Kaya dapat ang publiko ay huwag magbigay ng pera para sa mga winning numbers o kung ano mang prizes kuno (the agency does not ask for money in exchange for number combinations or prizes). That’s why the public should not give money for any supposedly winning numbers or any kind of prizes,” Cua said.
“Even as the government is taking active steps to crack down on online scammers, it is best that we also equip ourselves with proper knowledge to avoid being victimized by these criminals.” (PNA)
