Don't be a victim of text scams!

Some time ago, I received two fraudulent text messages. This isn't the first time, but it's the first time that I decided not to hit the delete button immediately -- which is my usual reaction.

Fraudulent Text #1: "CONGRATULATIONS! Ur cel# WON... (insert prize here)...". This time, it's P300,000 and a Honda CRV. Another time it was some other amount of cash and a Toyota Innova. It's usually cash and a car. This is actually an old scam as it has been going around for a few years already. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve received messages of this nature on my cellphone.

I never joined any contest that offered any of those prizes so my first reaction was to ignore and delete the text. I've heard of instances though when the recipient actually believed the notification. What usually happens is:

• You'll be asked to supply personal details.
• You'll be asked to pay processing fees by depositing money or sending cellphone load to a bank account or cellphone number somewhere.

This is unsafe in so many different levels. While common sense dictates that you must never give out information of any sort to people you don't know, sometimes the lure of a big prize can be hard to resist. Remember, if you did not join any contest, it's IMPOSSIBLE for you to win anything!

Fraudulent Text #2: "Musta na kayo dyan? Ito na nga pala new roaming number ko...". It tells you that the person on the other end has a package to send. The first time I received this, the text was in English and it wasn't jejemonic. My husband was out of the country at the time, but it never once occurred to me that it could be him or someone I know. Most of us in the Philippines have friends and loved ones abroad so it could still work.

• If you reply, the texter will either ask you for load or ask you to buy prepaid cards which he/she will supposedly sell for you at a big profit. Remember, he/she is posing as someone you know and is expecting your trust.

I actually have an acquaintance, whom I will call Beth for the purposes of this article, who believed this text message. Beth thought the texter was her cousin who was living abroad. The conversation developed to something like this:

Beth: “Annie, ikaw ba yan?”

Texter: “Oo, bago na ang number ko!”

Beth: “Kumusta ka na?”

Texter: “Okay naman ako dito! Yada yada yada…”

What happened was, Beth’s “cousin” told her that she found a way to make a lot of money in a very short time. She told Beth that they could sell cellphone load to her fellow Filipinos abroad for double the selling price here in the Philippines. Beth was to send load to her “cousin” who would in turn take care of distributing and selling the load overseas. After the load is sold, they would split the profit between the two of them and they would make a lot of money in a very short time. Beth ended up sending thousands of pesos worth of load. Needless to say, her “cousin” became unreachable shortly afterwards and she subsequently realized that she had been scammed. The texter wasn’t someone she knew.

With the advent of prepaid numbers, it’s too easy to go on a random dialing or texting spree because one can just throw it away afterwards. Next time you receive a text message from an unknown number, be extra careful and make sure that you really do know who’s on the other line.