Manila: The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Thursday warned the public about a new scam circulating through short message service (SMS) that can enter legitimate message threads for e-wallet services like Gcash and Maya. According to Philippines News Agency, CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos stated that such fraudulent messages usually contain links to a fake site that capture the account holders' details, including one-time passwords and other personal information. Ramos noted an increase in scam texts infiltrating legitimate Gcash or Maya SMS threads. Ramos explained that scam SMS can sneak messages into legitimate message threads by using a web portal or application. He urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid clicking links sent through text messages. To help inform users, Smart, Maya, and Gcash have sent advisories to their customers, cautioning them against opening links sent by text, even if they appear to be from the companies themselves. An advisory SMS from Maya stated that scammers are now using illegal cell towers to send texts that appear to be from trusted brands. Source: Philippines News Agency