Scam Watch Pilipinas urges public to report hacked FB accounts

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Scam Watch Pilipinas calls on the public to report hacked Facebook accounts after a couple lost nearly ₱1.2 million to scammers.

The criminals falsely reported a lost phone to a telecom provider.

Consequently, they obtained an eSIM card using copies of the couple’s IDs saved on Facebook Messenger. 

READ: Scam Watch Pilipinas, CICC earn global cybersecurity award

The malicious individuals gained full control over the victim’s mobile number, letting them access banking details.

They started with the couple’s BDO account, making unauthorized transfers of ₱4,000 and ₱15,000.

Then, they withdrew ₱210,000 from their EastWest Bank account. 

However, the most alarming breach involved their EastWest Bank credit card, which racked up ₱942,000 in fraudulent charges.

Scam Watch Pilipinas warned that compromised Facebook accounts pose serious security risks. 

Cybercriminals use them to steal personal information, commit identity theft, and execute financial scams. 

More importantly, Scam Watch Pilipinas reminds the public to report hacked Facebook accounts and online scams to hotline 1326.

It’s a toll-free hotline that operates 24/7 from Mondays to Sundays, including holidays.

Moreover, the 1326 hotline is part of the Inter-Agency Response Center (I-ARC) under the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).

The CICC is an agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).