PHILIPPINE Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Mel Robles dismissed as “fake news” the information circulating on social media claiming that the agency’s database has been breached by a group of hackers.

“This is fake news. There was no breach nor any successful attempt to hack the systems of PCSO,” Robles said in a Facebook post on Friday

Robles categorically described the report as fake news, stressing that there was never a breach in any of official sites or data base of the PCSO.

Robles added that they have not reported anything to the Department of Information of Communication and Technology “because nothing has happened.”

“While there were numerous attempts (in the past) to hack our system coming from all over the world, our digital defenses are holding out and remain impregnable,” he said.

He was disputing an online news that the PCSO and the DICT, were reportedly investigating a report on an alleged breach of the data of lotto winners.

Robles emphasized that the news report came from an alleged group of hackers, who are obviously attempting to make a name for itself, by claiming that they were able to breach the PCSO system.

However, the PCSO chief was quick to clarify that none of their accounts was attacked or compromised.

He added that what the post was simply saying is that the group was able to get hold of email accounts of PCSO employees, most probably, the email accounts of branch office personnel from Cagayan branch, based on the screenshots attached to the post.

Robles pointed out that it was the list of individuals who availed of the promo of the PCSO branch in March 2022 and not names of winners, whether of jackpot or consolation prizes.

He explained that the picture of a woman holding tickets is a proof that the promo tickets were availed of by “real” people, thus, the information published by the hackers actually belong to the recipients of a promo of a branch in Cagayan in March of 2022 and not of lotto winners.

“Our database for the lotto jackpot winners is safe in the head office. The branch offices are not connected to the head office,” he said.

Robles has previously dismissed the claims, saying the systems and sites of the government-owned and controlled corporation are secured.

“I have just checked, at the moment, none of our websites are compromised, breached, or hacked,” Robles stressed.

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Arlene Rivera