Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR has issued a public warning against a fake website that it says purports to issue gaming licenses and accreditations using fake forms and content. The website, it added, is the work of scammers.
“We urge the public not to download anything or transact through the said fake website that uses the domain name www.pagcorphilippines.com because it is definitely not from PAGCOR and all its contents are spurious,” said PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco.
“We have reported this incident to the Department of Information and Communications Technology. We are also working to identify the persons behind this fraud and we shall go after them with the full force and extent of the law.”
Tengco also revealed the fake website was put live last Saturday 22 February when PAGCOR’s head offices were closed.
“It is clearly intended to fool people, particularly those who are seeking licenses to operate from PAGCOR,” he said. “If you want to transact with PAGCOR, our legitimate and only website is www.pagcor.ph.”
The emergence of the fake website comes almost two months since a ban on the Philippines’ offshore gaming industry, known as POGO, came into effect – part of a broader effort to crack down on criminal activity across the country.