In preparation for the expected rise in online scams during the Christmas season, a cybercrime unit launched a cybercrime awareness campaign on Friday, Nov. 15.
Several government agencies, led by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), have partnered with Scam Watch Pilipinas to relaunch the Yuletide cybercrime awareness campaign, “Holiday Watch PH.”
The official launch of the Christmas campaign, titled “Holiday Watch PH 2024,” was held at the National Cybercrime Hub in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
It was attended by representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Transportation (DOTr), National Privacy Commission (NPC), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Gogolook.
Don’t be scammed
“While people are preparing their shopping lists, parties, and travel plans for the Christmas season, cybercriminals are preparing too, figuring out the best ways to scam you,” CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos said.
Ramos noted that “cybercriminals see the holiday season as the perfect opportunity to launch attacks because of the increase in online shopping and mobile device usage.”
“People take a break during the holidays, but scammers do not,” he added.
Meanwhile, Scam Watch Pilipinas Lead Co-Convenor Jocelle De Guzman stated that the campaign aims to address the low reporting rate among victims of cybercrime.
A new study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), titled “The State of Scams in the Philippines 2024,” highlighted the need to encourage the public to report scams, as the majority of Filipinos remain reluctant to report incidents to authorities.
The GASA study revealed that 67 percent of Filipinos did not report scams to law enforcement, while only 31 percent did.
The report also noted that from Aug. 1, 2023, to Aug. 15, 2024, the Philippines recorded 3,937,779 SMS scam messages and 414,446 scam calls.
“We are again expecting an increase in the number of scams this holiday season as more people go online to buy gifts, clothes, and food for various parties,” De Guzman said. “Scammers take advantage of the season to dupe people into donating to fake charitable projects,” she added.
12 scams of Christmas
In 2023, the CICC and DICT, together with Scam Watch Pilipinas, launched “Holiday Watch PH,” an anti-scam Christmas campaign focusing on warning the public about the “12 Scams of Christmas,” which include fake online charity scams, the proliferation of phishing emails & SMS, fake shipping scams, tech support scams, fake relatives scams, online shopping scams/gift card scams, love scams, job posting scams, travel scams, appeal-to-pity scams, policy violation scams, and “too-good-to-be-true” pop-up ads.
What you can do
For this year’s campaign, the concerned agencies unveiled “Eight Ways to Fight the 12 Scams of Christmas,” which include:
- Calling 1326 (CICC, DICT) for online scam victims
- eReporting online scams to DICT and CICC via the eGov Super App
- eReporting Online Consumer Complaints to DTI and DICT via the eGov Super App
- Calling 0920-964-DOTR (3687) for commuter complaints
- Using the SEC Check App to verify companies offering investments
- Checking the NPC Seal of Registration for legitimate commercial websites
- Downloading the Whoscall Anti-Scam App by Gogolook for device protection
- Following the four “Kontra Scam” attitudes by Scam Watch Pilipinas: Magdamot (be stingy), Magduda (be suspicious), Mang-isnob (be a snob), and Magsumbong (report).