GCash upholds zero tolerance on 'quishing' scam, blocks fake illegal sites

Philstar.com

April 23, 2026 | 5:00pm

for GCash

MANILA, Philippines — GCash, the Philippines’ leading finance super app, has intensified its crackdown on illegal merchants, blocking suspicious accounts and scam websites that impersonate official GCash payment pages to defraud users.

With rising transportation costs adding to broader economic pressures, GCash continues to strengthen its anti-fraud efforts as Filipinos become more deliberate with every peso they spend, underscoring the importance of staying vigilant against schemes and safeguarding their hard-earned money.

The rise of 'quishing' scams

Recent monitoring has uncovered schemes where fake websites mimic legitimate GCash payment pages and use QRPh codes to collect payments. An example of a growing scam flagged by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is known as “quishing” or QR phishing.

In these schemes, fraudsters exploit QR codes to redirect users to malicious payment pages or steal sensitive information, while misusing official branding to appear credible and deceive users into completing unauthorized transactions.

In some cases, fraudulent QR codes are embedded in posters, emails, receipts, or messages. When scanned, these can redirect users to fake login pages for e-wallets or banks, or even to sites that install harmful software on their devices. As a result, users may unknowingly send money to illegitimate accounts, even if the transaction appears familiar or routine.

What to watch out for

 GCash reminds users to stay alert for key warning signs before completing any payment:

• Suspicious website URLs that imitate GCash domains (e.g., “gcash-payments.com”, “gcsh.payment.com” instead of the official “payments.gcash.com”)
   
• Mismatch in merchant identity, especially when the name displayed is random, incomplete or unrelated to the actual business (e.g., “XJ82q” or “Merchant_123”)
   
• Payment pages that feel inconsistent or unfamiliar, despite using GCash or QRPh logos

If any of these signs are present, users should stop the transaction immediately.

Proactive enforcement and collaboration

GCash has blocked wallets linked to these activities and escalated fraudulent sites for takedown. The company continues to work closely with government partners to strengthen enforcement and disrupt online fraud.

These efforts build on GCash’s sustained anti-fraud and cybersecurity campaigns such as GSafe Tayo. In 2025, GCash, in collaboration with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), has blocked over 3,200 merchants linked to illicit activities, which are often used as channels for fraudulent transactions and scams.

“By proactively blocking unauthorized actors and reporting them to our regulators and authorities, we are helping protect Filipinos and maintain trust in the country’s digital financial ecosystem,” said Miguel Geronilla, chief information security officer at GCash. “Scammers are evolving alongside digital payments. We have zero tolerance for these actors and are actively blocking and reporting them to protect our users.”

“Protecting users is at the core of our platform,” Geronilla added. “We will continue to strengthen our safeguards and work hand-in-hand with the government to keep the ecosystem safe.”

Protecting every peso

GCash urges users to verify website URLs and merchant details before completing transactions and to stop immediately if anything appears suspicious.

GCash users can report suspected scams through the GCash Help Center at help.gcash.com by chatting with Gigi and selecting “I want to report a scam”, or by calling the official GCash hotline at 2882.

Users may also report incidents to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group at (02) 8414-1560 / 0998-598-8116 or [email protected], and to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) via hotline 1326, mobile 0991-481-4225, or [email protected].

By staying vigilant and using trusted platforms, Filipinos can better protect their funds and ensure that every peso counts.

More information is available at www.gcash.com

Editor’s Note: This press release is sponsored by GCash. It is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.