BDO Unibank, Inc. calls on online sellers to be wary of fake proof of payment. Scammers are editing deposit slips and bank transfer screenshots to trick entrepreneurs into believing that they already paid.

According to the bank, the only way for sellers to outsmart this modus is to log in their online bank account and check if the payment went through on their transaction history. “Always double-check your transactions. Do not rely on just photos or screenshots as proof of payment as these can easily be modified using photo editing tools,” it added.

How the modus works

Because of the pandemic, more Filipino entrepreneurs have brought their business online. Scammers however, are taking advantage of this new normal. They pretend to be interested buyers and confirm their orders with the sellers, who request for a photo of the deposit slip or screenshot of the money transfer as proof of payment.

Scammers modify deposit slips and screenshots of bank transfers using a graphics editing application. They send these to trusting online sellers, some of whom do not check their online bank account and just proceed with the transaction. As a result, online entrepreneurs lose profit.

If you are using your BDO account as a mode of payment for your business, you can easily verify if your buyer’s Send Money transaction went through by checking your transaction history via BDO Digital Banking. Send Money transactions from BDO to BDO reflect immediately in the transaction history,” the bank said, adding that exposing scams like this is part of its #BDOAntiScam awareness campaign to protect its clients.

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