A 54-year-old man in Pangasinan lost P50,000 after falling victim to an online scam that promised government cash assistance.

The victim from Barangay Casibong in San Jacinto received a message from someone he believed was an acquaintance, saying he was eligible for financial aid under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) AKAP program. The message instructed him to send money as part of the supposed processing requirements.

According to his sister, Lerma Riola, the victim trusted the offer because it appeared to come from someone he knew.

“Sabi makatatanggap ng ayuda sa AKAP kaya naniwala kapatid ko,” Riola said.

The sender then told the victim that a larger cash-in would result in a bigger payout.

“Ang sabi, malaki ang matatanggap ninyong ayuda kung mas malaki ang i-cash in ninyo. So first transaction ay eight [thousand pesos], then [P]12 [thousand], then [P]12 [thousand]… another transaction, tapos isa pang transaction,” she said.

Riola said the total amount sent reached about P50,000. After that, the person behind the messages could no longer be contacted.

The family later discovered that the acquaintance’s Messenger account had been hacked and that the victim had been communicating with a scammer.

Officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development said similar scams have been reported in several areas, often preying on people hoping to receive government assistance.

“Nakakalungkot na ginagamit nila ang mga mahihirap,” Melecio Ubilas Jr., assistant director for administration of DSWD Field Office 1, said.

Ubilas stressed that the agency never asks beneficiaries to send money in exchange for aid and does not distribute assistance through cash-in or cash-out schemes.

“Wala pong sinasabi ang DSWD na magbigay kayo ng pera. Kapag ganoon na ang tono, huwag kayo maniwala,” he said.

The DSWD urged the public to immediately verify any suspicious messages with the nearest DSWD satellite office or report them to the regional field office to prevent further scams.