PNP steps up drive vs online scams ahead of Christmas
Acting Philippine National Police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Tuesday ordered the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to intensify its efforts to combat the expected surge in online shopping scams and fake delivery schemes ahead of the holiday season.
Noting that online fraud cases spike in the days leading to Christmas, Nartatez directed the PNP-ACG to increase surveillance on known scam hotspots, fake websites and suspicious online sellers.
“The threat level is high right now. Every Christmas season, fraud cases become rampant, but this year, scammers are more aggressive, especially online,” he said in a statement.
“The PNP is on alert to protect our communities from these digital and delivery-related crimes,” he added.
Data shared by the PNP showed that this year, it recorded 3,941 cases of online scams from Jan. 1 to Nov. 13, topped by online selling scams with 1,630 cases, followed by investment or task scams (589 cases), vishing (431), hijacked profile or identification scams (326), and loan or lending scams (251).
Tracker teams
Other cases included travel scams (135), smishing (113), phishing (108), fake bookings (99), e-wallet fraud (79), love scams (50), debit or credit card fraud (50), employment or seminar scams (40), parcel or package scams (27) and fake receipt or buyers scams (13).
Nartatez ordered the deployment of dedicated “holiday cyber patrols” to track phishing campaigns, fraudulent advertisements and emerging online threats on social media and e-commerce platforms.
“Based on our monitoring, the most common nowadays are online shopping scams, fake delivery parcels, phishing links and impersonation schemes,” he said.
The PNP is prioritizing entrapment operations against groups behind parcel-delivery scams, fake online sellers, phishing syndicates and SIM/OTP (subscriber identity module/one-time password) harvesting activities.
Cyber investigators are also mapping possible links between local fraud groups and foreign crime networks.
“There were cases with cross-border elements, and we’re coordinating closely with international partners,” Nartatez said.
To prevent the circulation of fake parcels, the PNP is strengthening coordination with major couriers, online marketplaces and payment service providers.
It also urged the public to use the Unified 911 hotline in reporting suspicious deliveries and high-risk accounts so that these can be quickly flagged and investigated. —JASON SIGALES WITH PNA REPORT
