The financial app GCash, which is supported by Globe, announced on Saturday that it is shifting transaction confirmation notifications to its in-app inbox and eliminating clickable links from all emails and text messages sent to users.
GCash said in a statement that the action is consistent with efforts to fight fraud and scams.
Users’ “SEND MONEY” confirmation SMS will be relocated from their text message inbox to their in-app inbox starting on October 5, according to the mobile wallet.
Starting on October 12, the confirmation for “BUY LOAD” and “BANK TRANSFER” transactions will be transferred to the in-app mailbox.
“These messages will also be available under the ‘Transactions’ button on the app which has your transaction history,” GCash said.
The National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) directive to restrict links in text messages, which is considered as a strong deterrent against scammers, came shortly after the elimination of clickable links on text messages and emails, according to the mobile wallet.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), likewise, urged the financial institutions it regulates to adopt several actions to combat cybercrime and other assaults on financial services.
“These changes are in line with our own #SafeWithGCash campaign that aims to ramp up investments, partnerships, as well as educational and awareness programs on keeping our services safe and secure for our 69 million users,” said Martha Sazon, president and CEO of GCash.
According to Sazon, “The safety of our consumers is our first priority, and we continue to invest in and deploy top-notch security measures to secure client data.”
“Migrating the transaction confirmation messages will help ensure users are getting only legitimate messages regarding their GCash transactions,” said Ingrid Rose Ann Beroña, chief risk officer of GCash.
The leading Philippine e-wallet has been adamant about protecting the privacy of its users’ personal information and accounts by using a variety of security methods, such as vulnerability scanning, incident response, and forensics.