The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) yesterday dismissed reports that a database containing the personal information of lotto winners was hacked, saying that the falsehood is part of efforts to “besmirch” the agency’s reputation.
“This is fake news. There was no breach nor any successful attempt to hack the systems of PCSO. We have not reported anything to DICT because nothing had happened,” PCSO General Manager Mel Robles said in a statement.
The supposed data breach first circulated on social media but was later picked up by news organizations.
A Wednesday Facebook post of a supposed group calling itself “Philippines Exodus Security,” claimed that lotto winners’ profiles from 2016 to 2025 had been compromised, including their names, addresses, phone numbers, IDs, and winning numbers.
They claimed that hackers obtained the email accounts of PCSO employees, most probably the email accounts of branch office personnel from the Cagayan Branch, based on the attached screenshots.
However, Robles noted they were screenshots of individuals who availed themselves of the promo at the PCSO branch in March 2022, and not the names of winners, whether of jackpot or consolation prizes.
“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.
Still, the apparent hoax may initially have been taken seriously by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which said it would investigate the alleged breach.
Earlier on Friday, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy was quoted in an interview as saying that his office was aware of the breach and would coordinate with the PCSO about it.
Nonetheless, Robles called the false reports the handiwork of individuals “who are out to besmirch or cast doubt on the integrity of” PCSO games.
“While there have been 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 emphasized.
“Relax, today is Valentine’s Day, and don’t let it be ruined by some groups who were out to besmirch or cast doubt on the integrity of our games. It’s too early for April Fool’s Day and let us not easily fall for it,” Robles added.