Negros Oriental is one of the potential targets of text scam syndicates because of the number of Overseas Filipino Workers from the province, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Dumaguete-Branch said, as it reiterated its warning against the scheme yesterday.

Acting Deputy  Director of  BSP-Dumaguete  Paulita  Enrile  said in a statement that text  scammers usually   victimize  relatives  and   family  of  OFWs.

The   syndicate is operated by a group of experts who engage in this criminal act all over the country, she said.

The procedure is that a  text message  is sent  to  the  relatives  of  an OFW  informing  that   the  victim won  a  huge  amount of  money  from a  raffle, purportedly conducted by  the  Bangko Sentral ng Pilpinas.

In most   cases  the  suspect  would lure  the  victim   to give a big  amount   and  later  ask  to send  pre-paid  loads  or  money for  the  processing  of documents, Enrile also said.

After the amount is given, the suspect stops contacting the victim, the BSP said.

The suspects  use  fictitious names  and  addresses  while some  use  names  of  government  officials  representing  BSP.

The BSP advisory  also stressed that  it never  conducts  any  raffle  activity.

It said that individuals  who   may have received  the  text scam messages can  directly report  to  the  BSP  office  located  at corner Locsin  and Cervates  streets, Dumaguete  City  near  the Dumaguete PNP station,  or  to  the  Anti-Money Laundering Council Secretariat  at  the  BSP Complex  in  Manila.*MA

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