MANILA—The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is warning the public to stay alert against text messages urging recipients to click on links, even if they appear to come from legitimate banks, e-money providers, or other financial institutions.

The BSP reiterated that banks do not send text messages or emails with clickable links to customers, in line with BSP Memorandum No. M-2022-015 issued in March 2022.

Authorities continue to receive reports of a scam called text hijacking, where fraudsters insert fake messages into legitimate text threads to make them appear authentic. These messages often contain malicious links intended to steal access to victims’ financial accounts and are typically accompanied by urgent prompts, such as notifications of expiring rewards, unauthorized transactions, or requests to verify accounts.

To protect against these scams, the BSP advises the public to:

• Avoid clicking links in text messages or emails, even if they appear to be from banks or e-money issuers.
• Enable multi-factor authentication to secure accounts.
• Never share personal or financial details with anyone.
• Immediately contact your bank or e-money provider through official channels if your account may have been compromised: https://bit.ly/BSPScamAlert

The public is also encouraged to report scams to:

• DICT Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center: https://cicc.gov.ph/report/
• PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group Complaint Action Center: https://acg.pnp.gov.ph/contact-us/