GCash Suspends 3,200 Merchants for Illegal Gambling Payouts
GCash suspended 3,200 merchant accounts used to process illegal online gambling payments. The crackdown followed coordination with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group.
Key Takeaway
GCash's merchant purge reflects how payment platforms became enforcement chokepoints after gambling went fully underground.
GCash blocked 3,200 merchant accounts for facilitating illegal online gambling transactions in coordination with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group.
The company said it maintains a strict stance against illicit betting and urged customers to adopt stronger security measures. Users must never share One-Time Passwords or Mobile Personal Identification Numbers with anyone, according to GCash's advisory.
The merchant suspensions come as the Philippines intensified its campaign against underground gambling operations. The government outlawed all online gambling in July 2024 and shut down the remaining licensed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators by the end of that year. Before the ban, 300 illegal outfits operated alongside 50 legal POGO licenses issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
GCash warned customers to avoid scanning random QR codes from social media, emails, or text messages. The platform emphasized that legitimate businesses never ask customers to transfer funds into personal wallets for transactions.
The company has reported 916 illegal online gaming sites to authorities since 2023 and taken down 57,000 phishing sites. Filipinos can report suspicious websites using GCash for illegal gambling through the platform's 2882 help center hotline, the CICC's 1326 hotline, or the PNP-ACG at (02) 8723-0401.
🇵🇭 Filipino Impact
GCash users can report suspicious gambling merchants through three government hotlines: the platform's 2882 help center, the CICC's 1326 hotline, or the PNP-ACG at (02) 8723-0401. This crackdown protects Filipinos from QR code scams and fake merchant accounts that drain digital wallets.
This article was written based on reporting from Fintechnews.
