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Always buy with caution. Philippines tops e-shopping scam rankings in Asia

Published Nov 25, 2023 6:51 pm

How to prevent being scammed

Now that the holiday season is here, CICC executive director Alexander Ramos reminded the public to be wary when shopping online.

“Based on our observation, shopping scams usually increase during the Christmas season,” he explained. “Scammers take advantage of the high volume of online shopping and people’s vulnerability during this period.”

“Some people easily believe on false promises even if they are too good to be true,” he said.

If you are a victim of shopping scams, call 1326, said CICC.

Additionally, the Department of Trade and Industry said to be "always be cautious in responding to micro messages such things as free gift cards, prepaid automatic load transfer, personal cash loan, and quick cash with no collateral and similar unexpected messages."

"This is a common ploy by scammers to confirm that they have an active mobile number," it wrote.

As such, ignore unsolicited messages that promise "absurd rewards." Think if you participated in any promotional activity or event. If not, that's most likely a scam.

And finally, check the source of the text message. Most promos should come from a special four-digit number or SMS name like PagIBIG Fund, Meralco, Globe, etc.