Binay orders investigation on ‘text scams’

Vice President Jejomar Binay

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday said that he had ordered an investigation into the “text scams” apparently haunting his office, saying that Filipinos should ignore circulating text messages claiming that recipients won a raffle draw sponsored by a “Binay Foundation.”

“I would like to reiterate my appeal: don’t fall victims to text scams,” Binay said in a statement.

The statement noted that the circulating message contained the words: “From: BINAY FOUNDATION! Ur Sim# won (P750,000) 2nd winner during our

Handog Pangkabuhayan2012. To claim ur prize, Call me now! Atty. Herman C. Cruz.DTI#0400S-2012.”

In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Joey Salgado, spokesperson for the Binay camp, said that a friend of Binay received the text message and forwarded it to him. Salgado, however, said he did not ask Binay the friend’s name and that the message was only forwarded to him by Binay.

Salgado also said that earlier this year, a woman from General Santos City went to a radio program saying she received a text message that she was the recipient of P850,000 in cash assistance from the OVP.

Salgado added that the woman even went to the second floor of the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City and was met by a person who asked for P250,000 to facilitate the release of the cash assistance. The woman obliged to the request.

“Problem was we had no office at the 2nd floor of PNB. Most of our offices are at the Coconut Palace and the 7th floor of the PNB building houses administration and finance staff,”

Salgado said in the text message. Salgado said the radio program referred the woman’s case to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Salgado said that they had been receiving reports of the text scams since late 2010.

The statement also noted that there were similar text scams in the past using the names of Binay or the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Binay stressed that the OVP did not engage in raffle draws and cash assistance programs.

He also urged the recipients of such text messages to contact his office at 832-6791 local 105 or 106 or [email protected] for verification.

“To those who received text messages saying they’ve won in a raffle draw and dropping my name, kindly report it to our office,” he said.