VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) -- The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is warning the public to be wary of online scams perpetrated by those who prey on people’s inclination to make instant money.

NTC Region 1 legal officer Ana Minelle Maningding issued this warning during the Ammuentayo radio program of the Philippine Information Agency Ilocos Sur Information Center on April 15.

She explained that scammers post job offers that entice the public with work that is easy, does not require the usual necessary employment documents, and offers extremely high earnings or salary within a short period of time.

“One of their schemes is that they ask you to download their application. You will open an account and then ask you to link your e-wallet. Your first task is easy, just like in online shopping, adding items to your cart and fulfilling an order,” she explained.

Scammers will then ask the victims to top-up their e-wallets, click on items, and afterwards, receive a significantly large amount of money in comparison to the work they provided.

According to the NTC legal officer, this will lure individuals to increase their investment which the scammers will then take advantage of.

Maningding said, “After investing, you will fail to open their application but they will tell you that there are no issues with their system.”

“You will be unable to reach their representatives after some time. You will be left powerless; with no way of getting back your money,” she added.

She said that scammers use a detailed narrative to engage the public with fabricated stories of success, and fake Department of Trade and Industry permits.

To avoid falling victim to scams, Maningding reminded that when the offer is too good to be true, it is most likely a scam.

“There is no easy way of earning money. Don’t be too quick to believe text messages and what you see online, don’t click on links,” Maningding quipped.

She also emphasized that the public must remember the acronym BIRD, which means to block unknown accounts sending messages, ignore fraudulent messages, report the scams to NTC or the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Unit, and delete the messages. (JCR/MJTAB/ATV, PIA Ilocos Sur)