The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), an agency under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), has issued a warning to the public about scams, particularly those related to online bookings.

“While our fellow Filipinos are eager to visit the graves of our dearly departed, we sometimes fall prey to online scammers through hotel and transportation bookings,” CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Ramos said in a statement.

To ensure a safe and efficient travel experience for all Filipinos and tourists traveling within the country during the All Souls’ Day commemoration, the CICC, along with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Scam Watch Pilipinas, has reactivated the “Oplan Bantay Lakbay: Undas 2024.”

Ramos noted that this information drive started on October 30 and will run until November 5. As part of the campaign, the public is advised to be careful with open and unsecured Wi-Fi, fake e-wallet apps, fake customer service, fake accommodation scams, too-good-to-be-true deals, fake travel agents, charity cons, counterfeit cash, hidden CCTVs, and ticket fixers.

Hotline

Ramos reminded the public that CICC’s Inter-Agency Response Center (IARC) Hotline 1326 will continue to operate 24/7 during the “Oplan Bantay Lakbay” campaign.

“We will respond to travelers’ and commuters’ needs against online scammers, and they can also call 1326 for any travel concerns aside from cyber fraud,” Ramos said. “Our response team from the CICC is closely coordinating with their counterparts from the DOTr,” he added.

Influx of passengers

DOTr Assistant Secretary Hector Villacorta said that they anticipate many Filipinos will take advantage of the long weekend, as Undas falls on a Friday.

“We have made the necessary preparations and mobilized our people to assist travelers at all our travel access points nationwide, whether by air, land, or sea,” he said. “We are adding the information drive to warn travelers against the different types of online scams,” he added.

Report scams

Meanwhile, Scam Watch Pilipinas Co-Founder Jocel de Guzman urged Filipino travelers to report incidents of online scams using 1326 and to download the Whoscall app to “detect suspicious” calls and text messages.

“Online scam victims must report to 1326, while travelers who receive text scams or phishing emails can report using the eGov Super App via eReport, where they can send screenshots of these messages,” de Guzman said.