Scammers pose as Philstar.com, The STAR in fake email scheme to firms

MANILA, Philippines — Banks and companies have reported receiving fraudulent emails from individuals posing as employees of Philstar.com and its sister company, The Philippine STAR.

One bank alerted Philstar.com about an email it had received, purportedly from The Philippine STAR managing editor Romel A. Lara, warning of a “Notice to the Public” paid advertisement. 

The message claimed the ad could damage the bank’s reputation, alleging that the individual behind it was facing an estafa or fraud case.

A copy of the scam email sent to the bank that notified Philstar.com.

The sender then urged the bank to “coordinate with the advertiser’s representative,” so the firm could “air its side.”

The email was sent from [email protected], an address not affiliated with either Philstar.com or The Philippine STAR. Neither news organizations use Google mail addresses. 

This is not the first time scammers have used the names of Philstar.com and The Philippine STAR in supposed “Notice to the Public” warnings. 

In 2023, several companies also alerted Philstar.com to emails from individuals using the names “Jimmy Cantos” and “Mark Macapagal,” who falsely claimed to be senior verifiers for the media organizations.

Companies are strongly advised not to respond to these deceptive emails. Instead, report any suspicious activity related to this scam to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Division for investigation.