This holiday season, we encourage you to be cautious of fake raffles and contests. Stay alert if you receive an email, social media DM, or SMS saying you have won a prize and have to pay a fee to claim the reward. Here are 4 signs to look out for to know if it may be fake:
4 Signs It's a Fake Prize:
1. Prize is too good to be true
The prize may be a big item such as a brand new car, smartphone, or a large amount of money. This could be a fake prize especially if you did not enter any raffle or contest.
Tip: When in doubt, send a message or call the company’s official support team to inquire about the promotion details.
The official support email of Coins.ph is help@coins.ph.
2. Promo advertisement can't be seen on official company pages
Companies would advertise their big raffles or contests before announcing winners. If you haven't heard of the promo and if the company doesn't mention it on any of their pages, it may be a fake prize.
Tip: Double-check the company’s social media pages, blogs or official website to see if there is an active raffle or contest.
Take note that Coins.ph promos are announced on the official Coins.ph FB page, blog, and in the Coins app.
3. You need to pay a fee to claim
This is the biggest indicator that a prize is fake and most likely a scam. Legitimate contests or promotions run by companies should not require any processing fee to claim the prize.
Note: Coins.ph will not ask you to pay any activation or processing fees to be able to receive prizes or rewards in your Coins Wallet.
4. Notification contains an unknown link
Exercise vigilance if the SMS, social media message, or email you receive from an unknown sender has an attachment or link. The attachment may be malware or the link may direct to a phishing website used to extract your personal data.
Tip: Do not click on links or download the attachments. Ignore messages that ask for your personal information, passwords, or OTP codes.
What should I do if I receive a prize notification from an unknown sender?
Exercise vigilance when you receive messages from someone you don’t know, especially if they claim to be from Coins.ph. Be sure to verify and report the sender immediately especially if they ask for your password, OTP codes, and other private information.
If you receive a fake prize notification from a fake Coins.ph page or one that uses Coins.ph as a payment option, report this immediately as well. You may send us an email at help@coins.ph or tap Send us a Message in your Coins app.
You may also file a report to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime group at acg@pnp.gov.ph to prevent them from scamming others.
Stay alert and let's keep the Coins Community safe and secure!
