Unauthorized withdrawals in BDO accounts reported to NBI

Seven individuals reported unauthorized withdrawals from their BDO Unibank Inc. accounts to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday.

According to a report on GMA's "24 Oras," the NBI is now looking at the possibility that the unauthorized withdrawals could be connected to other criminal activities.

"There's a possibility that criminal aspect could come up on these transactions as well," Minerva Retanal, executive officer of the NBI Anti-Fraud Division, said.

This comes after BDO reported an "extraordinary rise in fraud attacks" in the entire banking industry during the fourth quarter of 2017, "with an increase in the number of claims for unauthorized transactions taking place in other countries.

Jerimaine Calma, one of the victims who reported unauthorized withdrawals, expressed concern over the processing time of the bank.

"Frustrating kasi sabi 15 banking days lang daw 'yung processing time, pero up until now kasi wala pa ring feedback. Everytime I call BDO, ang lagi lang sasabihin sa akin na under investigation pa rin," she said.

Calma said there were two unauthorized withdrawals made under her account where she lost her one-year savings of P50,000.

Meanwhile, the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) advised the public to be cautious in their daily transactions.

"That's something we cannot discount — the fraud is an industry. It's a dark industry," Benjamin Castillo, managing director of the BAP, said.

Castillo said, however, that the BAP is looking at ways to improve the Philippine banking system.

"We are looking at the possibility of later on deploying biometric technology that will allow identification for the consumer that's doing the transaction," he said. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/KG, GMA News