Actress Kyline Alcantara recalls losing money to online banking scam

Actress and singer Kyline Alcantara shared one of the most frightening experiences she has faced: becoming a victim of an online banking scam.

During her recent guest appearance on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda", the 22-year-old actress shared how she received an email and text message containing a link that claimed there was a problem with her bank account.

“Ang nakalagay po doon is may problema daw po sa aking bangko. So, click this link para maayos. So, I clicked it.”

After doing so, she was redirected to another website, which she immediately closed. However, when she checked her bank app afterward, she discovered that some of her money had already been deducted.

“Ayun na po pala iyon. Nabawasan po ang aking pera.”

Kyline revealed that while the amount was not in the hundreds of thousands, it was still a significant loss for her. “Malaki pa rin po iyon. Pang-kuryente ko po iyon eh,” she said.

She explained that she did not fill out any forms nor provide any information on the fake website, making the experience even more alarming because the loss happened after simply clicking the link.

“Iyon nga po, sobrang dali lang pong [mangyari],” she said.

At the time, Kyline admitted that she did not know what steps to take after realizing she had been scammed, so she decided to let the incident go.

She also shared that panic played a role in what happened, as the message appeared convincing and made her fear that there was a serious issue with her bank account.

Looking back, Kyline emphasized the importance of being more careful when dealing with suspicious messages and online transactions. She also mentioned that the NBI has a cybercrime division and reminded people to be cautious when connecting to public Wi-Fi, especially when accessing banking apps.

“Just be careful if you want to connect the public Wi-Fi… kasi baka pwede rin nilang pasukin iyon.” 

For Kyline, losing the money was especially painful because it came from hard work and sacrifice. “Pinagpuyatan, pinagpawisan, pinag-ipunan,” she said. 

Despite the experience, Kyline shared that it continues to motivate her to work harder. She said she does not want to return to the difficult circumstances she and her family experienced before.

“Hindi ko na po hahayaan na maghirap at magutom ulit ako at ang aking pamilya. Until now, I am working very, very hard, and for so many years pa po, for sure,” she concluded.

Kyline is currently seen in the action-drama series “Taskforce Firewall” alongside Miguel Tanfelix and is also part of the cast of the ongoing romance-drama series “Love, Siargao” starring Nadine Lustre and Alden Richards.