GCash, one of the biggest e-wallet services in the Philippines, was reportedly able to stop a hacking attempt that was supposed to steal about Php37 million from users.
The company was able to foil the attempt after they detected a pattern of small withdrawals from a couple of GCash users sent to only two accounts from a different bank last Monday night.
It said that the aggregated stolen amount is initially estimated at Php37 million, with some affected users losing a few thousand pesos each.
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“This was averted by GCash which immediately put a hold order on the transfers once the pattern was detected,” a source told Inquirer.net.
GCash, which has over 66 million users, suspended its services on Monday night and was restored at around 10AM the next day.
Around noon, GCash finally released a statement stating that they have extended their scheduled maintenance to investigate the reports from users experiencing unauthorized deductions from their accounts.
See also: How to report scammers in GCash
By 4:30PM, GCash announced that they have already adjusted the e-wallets of affected users and that the app is back to normal.
They also reassured their users that their funds are “intact, safe, and secure with GCash.” The company also highlighted its “proactive cybersecurity” policies to protect its customers and advised users to stay vigilant with their online transactions.