Armed Forces warns of fake Internet messages sent in its name

MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines warned the public Wednesday about an e-mail account purporting to be the military’s that sends messages supposedly from Camp Aguinaldo’s Public Affairs Office.

The AFP Public Affairs Office  identified the fake e-mail address as [email protected]. The military information office’s real e-mail address is [email protected].

“It has come to our attention that a certain email account ‘[email protected]’ suspected to be mimicking the correspondence procedures of our office has been sending unverified and suspicious information to our contacts,” a statement from the PAO AFP said.

The bogus e-mail was discovered last Monday, when the AFP PAO was alerted by a contact from the Department of National Defense who reported receiving “a suspicious email from [email protected],” the statement said.

The fake e-mail claimed to be “classified” correspondence that “should not be transmitted.” It attached a file that supposedly contained “the copy of PNOY’s remarks on ASEM.” A check by the Philippine Daily Inquirer showed that the attachment was an empty document.

President Benigno Aquino III was in Laos Nov. 5 and 6 for the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting.

“In view of the recent happening, the Public Affairs Office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is sending this message to all of our contacts from the local and foreign media, private individuals, non-government organizations, and other partner agencies in order to warn them of the matter,” the statement said.

The PAO AFP also asked that anyone who has received e-mail from [email protected] report it to its office by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

The military office also urged the public to be “very cautious when opening e-mails coming from anonymous and suspicious senders.”