The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has denied recent claims circulating on social media regarding an alleged data breach involving its systems. PCSO General Manager Mel Robles categorically labeled the reports as “fake news,” assuring the public that no successful hacking attempt has compromised their databases.

“There was no breach nor any successful attempt to hack the systems of PCSO,” Robles stated. “We have not reported anything to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) because nothing has happened.”

Hack Allegations and Official Response

The controversy was triggered by a Facebook post from a group called Philippines Exodus Security, claiming to have accessed thousands of profiles of lotto winners from 2016 to 2025. The post alleged that the compromised information included names, addresses, phone numbers, government-issued IDs, and winning numbers.

“They should’ve taken security seriously. Too late now,” the group claimed in their post.

Robles, however, emphasized that the claims were baseless and likely intended to tarnish the PCSO’s reputation or draw attention to the group behind the allegations. “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 said.

Clarifying the Alleged Leak

Robles explained that the supposed data breach likely stemmed from a list of participants in a promotional event held at the PCSO Cagayan branch in March 2022, not from the agency’s central database of lotto winners.

“Our database for lotto jackpot winners is securely housed at the head office, and branch offices are not linked to it. I have just checked—none of our websites or systems are compromised,” he added.

The PCSO assured the public that it remains vigilant in protecting its digital infrastructure and maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information associated with its operations.