MANILA - Local remittance firm Bayad Center on Friday warned the public against a new bills payment scam circulating online where fraudulent agents or businesses lure the public to transact with them.

Scammers trick victims to send payments to fake Bayad Center accounts instead of paying bills in authorized outlets, CIS Bayad Center Inc., the operator of Bayad Center, said in an advisory.

A fake Bayad Center Facebook account was recently created, posting notices of authorized branches shutting down along with mobile numbers to call offering the same "pa-bayad" scheme, the statement said.

"The use 'pa-bayad' scheme as a means to pay bills can both be convenient and risky at the same time, as they are now used for malicious and fraudulent transactions through social media," it said.

CIS Bayad Center Inc. said several incidents have already been reported to the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and other authorities for investigations.

Consumers were encouraged to report any similar incident or scheme to Bayad Center hotlines (02) 672-5777, (0917) 836-3000, (0920) 966-3000 and through its official Facebook page.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and some major Philippine banks have also warned against evolving cyber crimes meant to rob consumers of their hard-earned money.

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