GCash says wallet adjustments ‘completed’ after glitch

E-wallet platform GCash said Sunday it has completed the necessary wallet adjustments to users who experienced unauthorized transactions following certain process errors on Saturday.

In a statement, GCash encouraged users to remain vigilant against scammers, adding that it will continue working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the recent incident.

“As of yesterday, GCash has completed the necessary wallet adjustments to its affected users. Rest assured that customer accounts are safe, and customer account security will always be our top priority,” the e-wallet platform said.

“GCash remains steadfast in its mission to deliver reliable and secure financial services. We are committed to enhancing our systems and procedures to prevent similar incidents and to continue safeguarding all transactions,” it added.

Several GCash users on Saturday raised a howl on social media over thousands of pesos lost, which the e-wallet platform said were “errors” in a system reconciliation process.

‘Highly active’ accounts

Meanwhile the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said it observed that those who reported unauthorized transactions on GCash were “highly active” accounts.

“Considered karamihan dito ay ‘yung may mga talagang very active na accounts na ang tinamaan. Hindi kasi naman ay tinamaan. Ang very selective ‘yung mga tinamaan, ito ‘yung mga may active na accounts,” CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(Most of the affected are considered with very active accounts. Not everyone was affected. What was selected was those accounts which are really active.)

Ramos said that upon receiving complaints, the CICC coordinated with GCash and telecommunication companies to determine if the mobile numbers who received the users’ money were registered.

“Una roon sa findings namin, doon sa mga inireklamo sa amin, ‘yung mga numero na naiparating sa amin, karamihan ay offline. So nandon pa kami sa stage na 'yun whether registered o hindi. Dapat may mga pangalan na ito dahil alam mo naman kapag nasa e-wallet, dapat active number ‘yan,” he added.

(Based on our initial findings, the numbers that claimed the money were offline. We’re still at the stage of determining whether they are registered numbers or not. If you are using an e-wallet, you should have an active number.)

GCash said Saturday it was addressing the process errors that affected a "few" users even as screenshots of supposed unauthorized transactions on the e-wallet platform made the rounds on social media.

The platform said it has identified affected accounts and reached out to them. Wallet adjustments were also made.

"A few GCash users were affected due to errors in an ongoing system reconciliation process. This incident was isolated to a few users, and we assure our customers that their accounts are safe," GCash said in a statement.

The CICC also encouraged affected users to report directly to authorities their concerns instead of posting it first on social media.

“Tawagan niyo kaagad ang kumpanya ng e-wallet—unang una ‘yun. Pangalawa, kung maaari po ay i-report agad sa mga awtoridad dahil hindi maibabalik ang pera niyo kung sa social media kayo magre-report,” Ramos explained.

(The first thing you should do is call the e-wallet platform immediately. Second, report it to authorities because your money will not be returned to you if you report on social media.)

The CICC official also reminded the public to be wary against clicking links and other forms of text scams especially now that the holiday season is coming. —RF, GMA Integrated News