GCash starts ‘anonymizing’ names to protect customers

E-WALLET giant GCash will now cover customers’ names when sending money as part of its commitment to protect users’ information.

“In the past, the name of the person was seen as an added measure of convenience and helped verify that the recipient was correct,” GCash said in a statement.

“We need to strike a balance between customer experience and strengthening measures to keep user information safe from unscrupulous individuals. The feature that shows the full names of recipients was intended to help users verify if they are sending to the right person and avoid being scammed,” said Mark Frogoso, chief information officer of GCash.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom, Inc. said it has partnered with the Bankers Association of the Philippines to create a framework for intelligence and data sharing, as part of its intensified efforts against cybercrime.

“Rapid detection and action against illicit activity on Globe’s network have been made possible by the ground-breaking information exchange frameworks with banks. These enhance the overall efficiency of fraud investigation and prevention,” Globe Chief Information Security Officer Anton Reynaldo M. Bonifacio said.

From January to August this year, nearly 36.7 million bank-related spam and scam attempts were blocked through collaboration and data-sharing with partner banks, Globe said.

“Aside from blocking millions of scam and spam messages, Globe has also deactivated 14,058 scam-linked mobile numbers and blacklisted 8,973 more from January to July this year,” it added. — Ashley Erika O. Jose