GCash to add security camera in fight vs hacking

E-wallet service provider GCash will introduce a “double authentication” feature in December to protect customers from potential hacking amid the proliferation of text scams.

According to the company, two more layers will be added before a user can access an account:

1) After the user has entered his/her account number, he/she will get a one-time password (OTP).
2) The user will next enter his/her own mobile banking personal identification number (MPIN).
3) A camera will then open to identify the user.

The measures would prevent hackers from accessing the GCash account on other devices, the e-wallet platform said.

GCash chief customer officer Winsley Bangit said the live face recognition would also remove “customers’ dependence” solely on OTPs “which has been exploited by some fraudsters to scam users [as it] will provide a unique identifier that can’t be phished by scammers.”

Bangit said scammers have become “more sophisticated” with their cyberattacks in order to access their victims’ money.

In the last couple of years, there has been a surge of phishing mobile messages, which trick people into giving out their personal information like contact and bank account details.

“Gcash is working relentlessly … so we can be steps ahead of fraudsters and scammers,” he said.

GCash has also collaborated with the Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) to strengthen the fight against fraudulent activities. It has endorsed 2,734 scam-related cases, resulting in 41 arrests since 2020.