If you receive a notice via text/short message service and e-mail saying that you are a "lucky winner" of an unidentified contest of the "President GMA Charity Foundation," forget it, it's a hoax, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye warned yesterday.

Bunye, in a Malacañang press release, said that some "unscrupulous people are spreading hoaxes via text/SMS and e-mail in an obvious attempt to embarrass the President."

Bunye said a text message was sent by a certain "Atty. Rex G. Santos" via mobile phone No. 09217174558 to a concerned citizen of Muntinlupa City.

The Muntinlupa resident, in turn, brought the matter to Bunye's attention.

The "message reads verbatim (grammatical errors and all): Congrat's!! the Pres. GMA/charity Foundation. Ur cell# is "1 of lucky winner, last Feb. 2, 2006 had won P750,000) 2 Claim ur prize cal now! I'm Atty. Rex G. Santos."

The Malacañang official said "Santos'" message was clearly a hoax and warned the public not to fall for the scam.

"Atty. Rex G. Santos, or whoever is responsible for this, your cellphone number has been forwarded to the National Telecommunications Commission for proper action," Bunye said.*

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