News Roundup 10 May 2023
May 10, 2023 • 4 min Read
Cybertheft hits GCash; P37-M transfers flagged | INQUIRER.NET – Cybercriminals “hacked” into the accounts of several users of GCash, the popular digital payments app of Globe Telecom Inc., then siphoned off millions of pesos through a pattern of relatively small withdrawals and transferred the money to two recipient bank accounts late Monday night.
Affected users of the e-wallet—the Philippines’ most popular financial technology platform with 81 million users—made their disappointment known by flooding social media with posts about their concerns, especially after the GCash app became inaccessible until late Tuesday morning.
But a ranking Globe official, requesting anonymity because an internal probe was still ongoing as of press time, told the Inquirer that GCash foiled the attempts after the company detected the pattern of small withdrawals. The total amount of suspicious transactions was initially estimated at P37 million.
“This was averted by GCash, which immediately put a hold order on the transfers once the pattern was detected,” the official said.
The GCash app suspended its service around midnight and was restored around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, affecting millions of Filipinos who rely on the service for online shopping, settling bills at restaurants and even public transport fares on their daily commutes.
Full Story at: Cybertheft hits GCash; P37-M transfers flagged | Inquirer News
PH a ‘labor-exporting country’? Binay bothered by UK ad on Filipino nurses | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday raised a string of concerns about the seeming “disconnect” in the messaging of a new advertisement promoting the Philippines in London.
Binay, head of the Senate tourism panel, was bothered by an advertisement seen plastered on a London bus, which features Filipino nurse May Parsons holding a syringe with the words: “We give the world our best. The Philippines.”
The senator hailed the effort to boost the Philippines’ image in the global market but said the advertisement might be sending a “vague” message.
She asked if it was meant to encourage tourists to visit the country, attract more foreign investments, or persuade hospitals abroad to hire Filipino nurses.
“Parang may disconnect ang messaging. Nakaka-bother lang when you see the ad, it seems that we are offering the world our nurses — which is a bit off kasi nauubusan na nga tayo rito ng mga health worker. We don’t want to commodify our people, and we don’t want to be tagged as a labor-exporting country,” Binay said in a statement.
(There seems to be a disconnect in the messaging. It’s bothersome because when you see the ad, it seems that we are offering the world our nurses — which is a bit off since we’re already running low on health workers here.)
Full Story at: PH a ‘labor-exporting country’? Binay bothered by UK ad on Filipino nurses | Inquirer News
Groups urge gov’t to revoke pending, ongoing reclamation projects | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — There should be a moratorium on the construction of ongoing and pending reclamation projects in the archipelago to prevent the destruction of marine ecosystems and coastal communities, green and fishers’ groups said Wednesday.
Organizations under People’s Network for the Integrity of Coastal Habitats and Ecosystems (People’s NICHE) issued the call as they welcomed the moratorium on new applications for reclamation projects.
ABS-CBN reported that the Philippine Reclamation Authority will no longer accept any new applications for reclamation projects in the Philippines due to concerns about the impacts of landfilling.
This moratorium, however, does not cover the 22 reclamation projects that have been processed. These include the San Miguel Corp.’s New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan, groups said.
Full Story at: Groups urge gov’t to revoke pending, ongoing reclamation projects | Philstar.com
House called to probe GCash fiasco, demand full explanation from execs | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to investigate the apparent cyber theft attempt on users of e-wallet GCash this week and the possible app “vulnerabilities” that allowed several unauthorized transactions to clear.
This comes after GCash users publicly aired concerns on Tuesday about the unauthorized deductions that funneled money from their e-wallet to unidentified accounts affiliated with East West Bank and Asia United Bank.
While GCash representatives have ruled out hacking and claimed no fund loss from the incident, Rep. Bernadette Herrera (Bagong Henerasyon Party-list), the author of the resolution, said that she is “not satisfied” with the firm’s statements, which she also called “inconsistent.”
“First, GCash said there was no hacking in their first public statement. Second, they said cash of the accountholders were not missing or stolen,” Herrera said.
“But the reports of the accountholders themselves show the exact amount of unauthorized withdrawals and transfers from their accounts, so money left those accounts without their authority,” Herrera added.
Full Story at: House called to probe GCash fiasco, demand full explanation from execs | Philstar.com
