BPI taps Gogolook to beef up customer protection vs scams

MANILA, Philippines —  Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is giving qualified clients free access to anti-scam platform Whoscall for one year as the lender steps up efforts to protect customers from increasingly sophisticated fraudulent calls and messages.

The Ayala-led lender has partnered with technology firm Gogolook to improve scam detection and help customers distinguish legitimate communications from suspicious ones.

Under the partnership, eligible BPI clients will receive complimentary access to Whoscall Premium Basic for 12 months upon successful activation.

The app allows users to identify unknown callers, block spam and scam calls and filter suspicious messages, providing an additional layer of protection for customers using mobile banking services.

Eligible clients will receive instructions on how to activate and redeem the service through BPI’s official communication channels.

Aside from providing access to Whoscall, the partnership will allow BPI’s official outbound calls to be verified, addressing concerns among customers who may be unsure whether unsolicited calls or messages claiming to be from the bank are legitimate.

“At a time when scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect, building awareness is just as important as providing protection,” BPI head of unsecured lending and cards product and sales Alma Aldip said.

“This partnership allows us to go beyond traditional banking by equipping our clients with tools and knowledge that help them stay one step ahead of fraud. While Whoscall provides an added layer of protection, we still encourage customers to remain vigilant and exercise caution in all financial transactions,” she said.

BPI noted that Whoscall is a third-party application, with its features and performance handled by Gogolook rather than the bank.

For its part, Gogolook said greater cooperation between financial institutions and technology providers has become increasingly important as fraud schemes evolve.

“Scam tactics are becoming more localized and sophisticated, which is why collaboration is key in staying ahead of fraud,” Gogolook global COO Manwoo Joo said.

“Through our partnership with BPI, we are able to bring our global expertise in digital risk detection to more Filipinos and empower them with tools like Whoscall to better identify and avoid suspicious communications,” Joo said.

The initiative forms part of BPI’s broader push to strengthen security around its digital banking services as the 175-year-old bank adapts its operations to changing customer needs and fraud risks.