Lotto winners’ data safe — Robles

Beware of fake news for views.

This warning was aired by Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Mel Robles on Friday after more fake news circulated on social media claiming the agency’s database had been hacked by an obscure group of hackers.

In a statement, Robles described the report as fake news, stressing that there was never a breach of any of the official sites or databases of the PCSO.

“This is fake news. There was no breach or successful attempt to hack the systems of PCSO. We have not reported anything to DICT because nothing had happened,” he said.

”Relax, today is Valentine’s Day and don’t let it be ruined by some groups that are out to besmirch or cast doubt on the integrity of our games. It’s too early for April Fool’s Day and let us not easily fall for it,” he added.

“While there were numerous attempts (in the past) to hack our system coming from all over the world, our digital defenses are holding up and remain impregnable,” Robles said.

He was reacting to an online news report that the PCSO and the Department of Information and Communications Technology were investigating an alleged breach of the database containing the names of lotto winners.

Robles said the news report came from a group of hackers who were obviously attempting to make a name for themselves by claiming that they were able to breach the PCSO system.