The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), an attached agency to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in collaboration with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and partner private companies, has launched the second phase of the "Online Bantay Lakbay" campaign on Monday, March 25.
After the official launch of the government's anti-vacation scam campaign on March 13, the body has commenced the second phase, which involves the distribution of educational materials nationwide.
DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy underscored the initiative's importance, especially for travelers in this upcoming Holy Week.
"We had a partnership with the Department of Transportation to assist travelers, ensuring their safety, security, and convenience," Uy said.
Scam Watch Pilipinas, the national citizen arm aimed at educating Filipinos nationwide against cyber fraud as part of the national scam watch movement initiative, co-founder Jocel De Guzman explained the objectives of the second phase of the anti-travel scam campaign.
"The second phase, and because of our collaboration with DOTr, they allow us to place these education materials in all airports, seaports, bus terminals, and train stations nationwide," De Guzman said in a mix of English and Filipino.
"So, the rollout of this is starting, and hopefully our fellow citizens will see it," he added.
In partnership with Scam Watch Pilipinas and the DOTr, CICC launched the "Online Bantay Lakbay" initiative on March 13 to combat travel scams.
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This campaign addresses 14 travel or vacation scams commonly practiced by online perpetrators.
The said travel scams are: Fake Wi-Fi, Too-Good-To-Be-True Deals, "Free" Vacation Trap, Fake Travel Agents, Overpriced Tours, Charity Cons, Counterfeit Cash, Hidden CCTVs, Fake Taxi, Selling Lost Luggage on FB, Fake SIMs, Fixer, Fake Accommodation, and Cheap airline tickets on social media.
'Do not text to strangers'
To represent the DOTr, Assistant Secretary Hector Villacorta attended the program and reminded the public not to text strangers.
"Let's not immediately believe in offers that are too good to be true, like discounted hotel rooms. Let's increase our skepticism," Villacorta said.
"Let's be cautious when engaging in conversations or texting with people we don't know," the DOTr official added.
'1326'
Furthermore, CICC reiterated the importance of reporting any cybercrime-related circumstances by calling "1326."
"We (CICC) established an inter-agency response center staffed solely by government personnel," CICC Assistant secretary Mary Rose Magsaysay said, emphasizing the importance of a cybercrime-related hotline.
This is because the statements provided by callers could potentially serve as digital evidence.
"However, only a few government agencies have the authority to handle such sensitive material," she added.
Moreover, Mel Migrino, Gogolook's (Whoscall provider) Country Representative for the Philippines, explained the role of the "Whoscall" app in this campaign.
“The modus operandi of scams is evolving, so it's not just limited to investment scams. It could involve various combinations,” she explained.
Whoscall is a widely used application designed to identify unknown callers and effectively filter out spam calls in real-time.
Moreover, Manila Bulletin Senior Technology Officer and Scam Watch Pilipinas co-founder Art Samaniego urged the public to beware and "always to be careful with what we see online, especially with those we meet on social media because most of them are scammers."
GCash Corporate Communications Senior Manager Mabel Niala joined the mentioned officials to show support for the anti-travel scam campaign.