Scammers Are Posing as BSP Officials, Complete With Fake IDs. Here Is How to Spot Them

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has put out another warning about people pretending to work for it. In a public advisory reported on October 16 by Context.ph and The Manila Times, the central bank said fraudsters are sending letters, emails and text messages that ask people to deposit or transfer money. The usual story is that the payment is needed to release, recover or restore funds, and sometimes it is framed as a donation to charity.

To look official, some scammers show fake BSP identification cards with names, photos and forged signatures. The BSP says the mobile numbers and email addresses used in these messages are not official BSP contact details, and that its officials and staff never ask the public for payments for any of these purposes.

Why this scam keeps working

It targets people who have already lost money or are waiting on funds, and it borrows the authority of the one institution that supervises the banks. The BSP has issued similar warnings before. In a January advisory published through the Philippine Information Agency, it said it "will never ask the public to transfer funds from their accounts or make payments purportedly for anti-money laundering clearance, taxes, insurance, and other fabricated charges."

That January advisory also pointed out a detail many people miss: under BSP rules, banks are prohibited from sending clickable links by SMS, email or messaging apps. A message with a link that claims to be from your bank is a red flag on its own.

Red flags to watch for

• Anyone claiming to be from the BSP who asks you to send money, for any reason.
• Requests to pay a fee before funds can be "released," "recovered" or "cleared."
• An ID card, letter or certificate with the BSP logo sent by chat or email to prove someone is legitimate.
• Pressure to act quickly, or to keep the matter secret.
• Clickable links in messages that claim to come from a bank.

What to do

• Do not send money, share account details or one-time passwords, click links or open attachments from these messages.
• Verify through official channels. The BSP's January advisory lists bspmail@bsp.gov.ph and (+632) 8811-1277 or 8811-1BSP for reports.
• If your bank or e-wallet account may be compromised, contact the bank or e-money issuer through its official channels right away.
• Scams can also be reported to the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation, as the BSP advisory notes.

Share this with older relatives in particular. A fake ID and an official-sounding letter are often all it takes.