Are you a scam victim? Where to report scammers in the Philippines

Don’t be duped by scammers in the Philippines! Report them to the authorities and send them to jail!

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has repeatedly warned the public against falling for “get-rich-quick” scams.

On its website (www.sec.gov.ph), the SEC reported that more and more financial scams have recently emerged, targeting potential investors who want to earn absurdly high returns on their money.

How to check if you’re talking to a scammer

According to the SEC, if a person contacted you and offered a seemingly high interest on your “investment” after a short period of time, protect yourself by asking for the following information.

1. Name of the person and the company making the offer;
2. Address of the person and the company;
3. Landline numbers of the person and the company (mobile phone numbers are difficult to trace); and
4. SEC registration of the company stating they are eligible to take investments

If the person refused to give those information, better not to continue dealing with them. There’s a high chance the company and the investment program being offered are fraud.

Other tell-tale signs of a scam

Some additional things to remember to help protect yourself from financial scams.

1. Investment houses and financing companies with quasi-banking (QB) license and with SEC registered securities are the only ones allowed to offer investment instruments to more than 19 investors. If anyone or any company is marketing a financial investment to the public, that is, to more than 19 people and they do not have the approved license from the SEC, then it’s most likely a scam.
2. An SEC company registration in itself DOES NOT automatically grant authority to sell investment instruments such as securities, bonds, commercial papers, etc. Check the list of companies published by the SEC that are authorized to accept investments from the public.
3. Only SEC registered persons (brokers/dealers/salesmen) may offer or sell registered securities to the public. Ask what their SEC registration number or Broker’s / Salesman License Number is and double-check this with the SEC.
4. Don’t fall for people who give you promissory notes or post-dated checks as proof of your interest earnings. These notes or checks may turn out to be fake or un-funded. Scammers typically use this trick to lure you to invest and to show that they are supposedly genuine and paying.

Where to report scammers

If you encounter any company or person that may be guilty of the above, report them to the:

• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Enforcement and Investor Protection Department

Telephone Number: (+632) 818-5704

Website: http://www.sec.gov.ph

You may also contact the Philippine NBI:

• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)

Telephone Number: (+632) 532-8231 to 532-8238

Website: http://nbi.gov.ph

Don’t let scammers scam you. Protect yourself and know what to do.