Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged local government units (LGUs) and law enforcement agencies to arrest the proliferation of love scams that have been victimizing countless foreign nationals.

Gatchalian made the call following a claim made recently by the Australian Federal Police that around AUS$24 million were already lost to Philippine-based scammers, who were able to dupe love-struck Australians into giving their money to fraudsters they met through various online dating apps.

The senator said he plans to file a resolution on the issue.

“Nakakahiya na mismong mga kapwa natin Pilipino ang nambibiktima ng mga dayuhan. Sinisira nila ang magandang imahe ng mga Pilipino sa ibang bansa, lalo na ang ating mga OFW, na nakilalang maaasahan at mapagkakatiwalaan. Ang mga ganitong insidente ay maaaring magdulot ng masamang epekto sa kanilang oportunidad sa trabaho sa ibang bansa sa hinaharap (It's shameful that even our fellow Filipinos are taking advantage of foreigners. They tarnish the good image of Filipinos abroad, especially our OFWs, who are known to be reliable and trustworthy. Such incidents can negatively impact their job opportunities in other countries in the future),” said Gatchalian, adding that some of these love scam operations could be remnants of illegal POGOs that used to operate in the country.

“Law enforcement agencies such as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should work closely with law enforcement agencies in other countries to weed out such criminal activities in the Philippines,” the lawmaker said.

Gatchalian surmised scammers may also be targeting Filipinos, and thus, the need to enhance awareness and education on these online scams.

Some Filipinos may have already fallen prey to such love scams but have not reported such incidents as they could be apprehensive of possible societal judgment, he said.

Scammers, Gatchalian said, usually undertake profiling of their targets and often take advantage of vulnerabilities of potential victims. He said individuals who are isolated and seeking companionship, those experiencing changes in their lives as well as those who lack online safety awareness are most susceptible to love scams.

According to him, appropriate criminal charges must be filed against perpetrators of love scams to dissuade others from perpetrating similar online scams.

As the chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, Gatchalian has been advocating for the expulsion of all scamming activities in the country, including those of investment and love scams.