Several customers of e-wallet GCash on Saturday raised a howl on social media over thousands of pesos lost to what appeared to be unauthorized transactions.
Among the GCash users who complained about unauthorized transactions was Kapuso comedienne Pokwang. In an Instagram post, she said almost 30 unregistered cellphone numbers claimed her money.
“Ano nangyare sa registered sim policy ngayon (What happened to the registered SIM policy)?” asked Pokwang, referring to Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act enacted to reduce cybercrimes.
Digital advocacy group Digital Pinoys on Saturday afternoon called on GCash to immediately return the lost funds to its customers.
“This issue has been long running and it seems that despite previous complaints, it has remained unresolved. This is alarming for consumers who put their trust on e-wallet providers to secure their funds. The funds lost due to unauthorized transactions should be returned immediately,” Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronald Gustilo said.
He also urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology to investigate the matter and impose penalties on Gcash if found guilty of negligence.
“E-wallet platforms do not provide the same security as banks. Consumers should not store huge amounts of money in their e-wallet accounts as the funds are not insured, unlike those in banks,” Gustilo said.
Process ‘errors’
For its part, mobile wallet GCash on Saturday said it was addressing the process errors that affected a “few” users even as screenshots of supposed unauthorized transactions on the e-wallet platform made the rounds on social media.
“A few Gcash users were affected due to errors in an ongoing system reconciliation process. This incident was isolated to a few users, and we assure our customers that their accounts are safe,” GCash said in a statement.
“We have identified and reached out to affected accounts. Wallet adjustments are ongoing,” it added.
GMA News Online has reached out to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group regarding the matter but has yet to receive a response as of posting time. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
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