THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) wants e-wallets to temporarily remove all auto debit subscriptions amid possible scams that have taken advantage of this function.
At a National Cybersecurity Month event, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Dy said they noticed some e-wallet users are complaining of being victimized by alleged scams through e-wallets.
One possible reason for this, Dy said, is the auto debit feature wherein money automatically is paid regularly to a particular app or company through the e-wallet account.
Dy said there is nothing wrong if the e-wallet is linked to legitimate apps. But what worries him is sometimes users link their e-wallets to sites that may not be legitimate or trusted.
“Ang hindi mo alam naka-save na pala siya at nag-auto debit siya, nag-auto renew siya,” said Dy.
The DICT now plans to talk to e-wallet platforms to remove all auto payment functions, so users can again link their account, but this time only to legitimate apps.
He also defended government from criticisms that is not prioritizing cybersecurity following the recent cyber attacks on government sites such as PhilHealth and the Philippine Statistics Authority.
“Cybersecurity is a priority of this government. It is just unfortunate we had several cybersecurity issues,” he added.
But he asserted that cybersecurity must be done by the government, the private sector, and individuals.
DICT has also partnered with major social media and tech companies like Google, Meta, and Tiktok to help raise awareness on cyber attacks and scams. (ABS-CBN News)
