VERA Files
Impostor sites of government agencies promising netizens “New Year’s Day” subsidies and gifts are being shared on Facebook (FB) and Messenger. These are fake.
Both the Social Security System (SSS) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have disowned the circulating posts.
The links, all bearing the domain name myselfio.xyz, lead to at least three different sites employing the same modus used by other scammers previously fact-checked by VERA Files.
(Read: ‘Mercury Drug’ P7k medical subsidy is FAKE)
These sites ask netizens to answer a short questionnaire for a chance to win P7,000. Netizens have to play a “game” before being instructed to share the links with their FB friends and provide their personal information. The prize will supposedly be delivered to their addresses within five to seven days.
A website dated Jan. 9 bore the title: “Philippine Social Security System SSS- New Year social subsidies” and featured a photo of an SSS branch opening in Ortigas in 2019.
In their Jan. 8 statement, the SSS clarified that they do not conduct any raffle or give away cash or gifts. They wrote:
“Ang mga mensaheng ito ay isang paraan ng panloloko upang makuha ang inyong personal na data – huwag maniwala dito at huwag na ikalat sa iba (These messages are a scam to get your personal data – don’t believe it and don’t spread it to others).”
Another site carried the title: “Department of Social Welfare and Development – new Year’s gift.” It also used a Philippine News Agency file photo of DSWD’s Field Office 12.
The DSWD has previously debunked a similar website that also promised cash prizes last November. (Read: FAKE sites for ‘DSWD unemployment assistance’ resurface)
Other links also lead to a site imitating the convenience store chain 7-Eleven. 7-Eleven’s official social media pages and websites have not posted anything about such a giveaway. Similar scams also imitated private companies. (Read ‘Petron’ 7k anniversary giveaway is FAKE)
This modus has also spread in other countries like Africa, India and Indonesia,
According to a Philippine Star report, the Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group logged 11,071 cases of online scams in 2023, making it on top of the list of cybercrimes last year.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
