PHLPost warns public against smishing scam

The Philippine Postal Corp. warned the public Wednesday against “smishing” messages pretending to come from the state postal service.

Smishing is a form of fraud that uses text messages to trick recipients into disclosing personal or financial information.

“PHLPost strongly emphasized that these messages do not come from the postal service,” the agency said.

According to PHLPost, scammers send messages containing suspicious links, claim that a parcel cannot be delivered and demand immediate payment of a redelivery fee using a credit or debit card.

The agency advised recipients not to click unfamiliar links, provide personal or banking information, or make payments through unverified websites.

PHLPost said it does not request bank account details, card information, passwords or one-time passwords through text messages.

Legitimate parcel tracking and delivery verification should be conducted through the agency’s official website and authorized communication channels, it added.

The public was also encouraged to report suspicious messages and related activities to PHLPost.