LATEST PREY Cybercriminals have preyed on teachers keeping their savings and payroll accounts at the government-run Land Bank of the Philippines. —LYN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines — William Montecalvo, a teacher from San Bartolome High School in Quezon City, received 13 one-time password text messages from Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) around midnight on Nov. 3, 2021.
Upon checking his iAccess account, an alternative banking channel used for fund transfer and updating of contact information, Montecalvo found out that his savings had been nearly wiped out, with a balance of only P800 from P121,000 the last time he checked.
Crisanto Cruz, a teacher at Amaya School of Home Industries in Cavite province, experienced the same problem.
On Dec. 30, 2021, a total of P84,815 was stolen from his Landbank account: P50,025 was transferred to a GCash account while P34,379 went to another bank account.
Cruz said he received three messages from Landbank providing an OTP, but was surprised since he was not using his computer during that time.
“I was alarmed when I saw the three OTP messages and I thought my account was being hacked,” he said.
Upon checking his balance through his phone, his savings were gone.
Montecalvo and Cruz are just two of many teachers who have been victimized by bank cybercriminals. Their storylines are the same: Funds from their Landbank payroll accounts were transferred to other bank or mobile wallet accounts without them making the…
