Online scam watchdog launches cyberscam reporting platform
Scam Watch Pilipinas, in partnership with Gogolook and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), launched Scam Vault Philippines, a Facebook group page that netizens can visit to share and report harmful scams they encounter online.
'Ie-empower natin ang lahat ng Filipinos na may Facebook na sumali sa Scam Vault PH group page. Ang gagawin lang nila magsiye-share sila ng AI scams, social media scams, at nandoon na ang PNP para hindi na sila mahirapan,' Scam Watch Pilipinas co-founder Jocel De Guzman said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
(We will empower Filipino Facebook users to join the Scam Vault PH group page. All they have to do is report AI scams and social media scams, and the PNP is there to help.)
'Ang protocol kasi kailangan i-report. Pag ni-report medyo matagal… Ngayon, 'pag may nakita tayong scam, i-share natin sa Scam Vault para makita ng PNP-ACG, CICC o kung sinumang government offices. Iko-compile po kasi natin 'yan and then hopefully, mamo-monitor din natin kung gaano ba kabilis ang pag-take down ng Facebook,' he added.
(The protocol is that they need to report but that takes time. Now, if we see a scam we can just report it to the Scam Vault and the PNP-ACG, or CICC will coordinate with the taking down. We will also monitor how long will it take for Facebook to remove these posts.)
Gogolook, which empowers Whoscall—a phone fraud protection app— will use an AI-driven analysis to scan submissions while the PNP-ACG will coordinate with the taking down of the suspicious links and posts on social media as well as the investigation into the incident, de Guzman said.
'Itong ginagawa natin di lang ipapakita na magre-report pero hopefully, magkakaroon ng action,' he added.
(We want to show we are just reporting but there will be actions against it.)
Meanwhile, Gogolook Philippines country head Mel Motrin said Whoscall screened 20,829 reports from March to June 2025. Of the figures, 70% or 14,627 were assessed by the application. At least 7,200 of the assessed reports were scam calls; around 2,891 were potential scams; and 4,400 were considered to be non-risk. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
19 hours ago
- GMA Network
Text, scam calls drop in Q2; but URL-based scams rise — Whoscall
Caller ID and anti-fraud app Whoscall on Tuesday reported a drop in the number of scam text and calls in the April to June 2025 period, but saw a rise in URL-based scams distributed through social media and messaging platforms. In the second quarter 2025 Philippine Scam Report, Whoscall said it saw a 'dramatic drop' in traditional scam incidents, particularly SMS or text scams, down by 94.95% to 65,035 from 1.28 million in the same period last year. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, text scams decreased by 89.97% from 648,239. Mel Migriño, country head and general manager of Gogolook in the Philippines, attributed the decline to combined efforts between authorities, the private sector, and the public. Gogolook Co. Ltd. is the trust tech company behind Whoscall app. 'This significant drop is the result of collective action — from government and private-sector innovations to increased awareness and reporting by ordinary Filipinos. It shows that strong collaboration works,' said Migriño. Likewise, Whoscall reported that scam call incidents dropped by 74.20% to 34,964 during the period from 135,535 in the second quarter of 2024. Quarter-on-quarter, scam calls decreased by 90.05% from 351,699 in January to March 2025 period. 'We can't let our guard down. Every report and every effort helps make the digital space safer for everyone,' said Migriño. Despite the significant drops in scam calls and texts, Whoscall flagged the rise in 'risky URLs' during the period. It defines risky URLs (uniform resource locators) as potential threats to users' security, privacy, or financial information when clicked or visited. Whoscall said these links are distributed on social media platforms and messaging applications. The said links often lead to malicious, deceptive, or unauthorized websites and are commonly used in online scams, phishing attacks, and malware distribution. The total number of risky URLs grew by 37.74% in the second quarter of 2025 to 18,735 from 13,602 in the first quarter. Broken down, loan-related URLs rose by 19.68% to 9,930 from 8,297. There was also a 57.46% rise in links related to promotions, rewards, and incentives to 4,497 from 2,856; while adult gambling-related links jumped by 75.91% to 4,308 from 2,449. Migriño said the trend may be due to scammers shifting their tactics as authorities and the private sector continue to tighten measures against traditional SMS and call-based scams. 'The joint effort of the government and private sectors minimized scam calls and SMS scams. However, scam actors are now shifting to other platforms, such as social media and messaging apps, to continue their operations,' she said. Migriño said many of the scams now involve luring users into clicking suspicious links, 'which may explain the sharp rise in reports involving URLs.' 'The challenge lies in cracking down on deceptive content embedded in apps where Filipinos spend most of their screen time. This partnership with platforms, public education, and real-time takedown coordinator remain key priorities moving into quarter three,' said Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Deputy Director Assistant Secretary Aboy Paraiso. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
21 hours ago
- GMA Network
Filipino convict among illegal aliens arrested in US over weekend — DHS
The American flag flies near the Statue of Freedom atop the United States Capitol in Washington on November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst NEW YORK — A Filipino was among at least 11 illegal aliens convicted of various crimes who were arrested during separate operations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities over the weekend. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the individual was a 29-year-old illegal alien from the Philippines. He was arrested in Middlesex, Massachusetts. According to the DHS, the individual was convicted of multiple charges, including rape, aggravated rape of a child, rape of a child with force, four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14. Information about the arrested Filipino was released by the DHS on July 21 as it reported "criminal illegal aliens" arrested over the weekend, "including murderers, pedophiles, and rapists." In a statement, US Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the arrests were part of President Donald Trump's campaign against criminal illegal aliens. "Over the weekend, our brave ICE agents arrested more depraved criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and three child pedophiles. These are the types of barbaric criminals our ICE law enforcement officers are arresting and removing from American communities every day," McLaughlin said. Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. released an advisory in response to the recent arrests of Filipinos in connection with child abuse cases, reminding Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) that such crimes are serious violations of American law. The embassy did not mention a specific incident but the statement was made after US online news Wavy said the Filipino workers of Carnival Sunshine cruise line, all bearing valid 10-year C-1/D visas, were "forcibly removed in handcuffs" by Customs and Border Patrol officers at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. "In view of the increasing incidents of arrests, detention, and deportation of individuals due to child pornography-related offenses, the Philippine Embassy reminds members of the Filipino community and overseas Filipino workers in the United States, including those onboard vessels in U.S. territorial waters, that child pornography is one of the worst forms of child exploitation. Consuming such material perpetuates this exploitation," the embassy said in its advisory. "U.S. federal and state laws criminalize the production, promotion, possession, viewing, transportation, and distribution of child pornography. Individuals caught engaging in these acts may be prosecuted, penalized, and deported." "In this regard, everyone is strongly urged to refrain from downloading, possessing, viewing, transporting, distributing, or selling child pornography," the advisory said. The embassy also assured the Filipino community that it is ready to assist individuals who believe they have been wrongly accused, urging them to contact the Embassy or the nearest Philippine Consulate immediately. "The Philippine Embassy respects the right of individuals to seek redress or take legal action if they believe they have been wrongly accused of legal infractions. Please contact the Philippine Embassy or the nearest Philippine Consulate General and Migrant Workers Office for consular and welfare assistance," the embassy said. — Dave Llavanes Jr./ VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
PH Embassy warns vs child porn amid arrest of 18 Pinoy seafarers in US
The Philippine Embassy in Washington has issued an advisory against possession and distribution of child pornography in the US amid "increasing incidents onboard vessels in American waters." 'In view of increasing incidents of arrests, detention and deportation of individuals due to child pornography-related offenses, the Philippine embassy reminds the members of the Filipino community and overseas Filipino workers in the United States and onboard vessels in US territorial waters, that child pornography is one of the worst forms of child exploitation and to consume it perpetuates such exploitation,' the embassy said on July 19. The embassy did not mention a specific incident but the statement was made after US online news Wavy said the Filipino workers of Carnival Sunshine cruise line, all bearing valid 10-year C-1/D visas, were 'forcibly removed in handcuffs' by Customs and Border Patrol officers at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Officers reportedly told the workers they were accused of possessing child pornography, 'In this regard, everyone is enjoined to desist from downloading, possessing, viewing, transporting, distributing and selling child pornography,' said the embassy advisory. GMA News Online has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers for comment, but they have yet to reply as of posting time. Arrests Since the Biden administration, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Customs and Border Protection have conducted a series of arrests of cruise ship employees due to alleged child pornography. Aquilina Soriano Versoza, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center, and other members of the group protested the arrest outside the cruise ship, saying the Filipinos were abruptly removed despite lack of evidence and due legal process. The embassy, on the other hand, said it 'respects the right of individuals to seek redress of grievances or take legal action if they feel they have been wrongly accused of legal infractions.' 'Please contact the Philippine embassy or the nearest Philippine consulate general and migrant workers office for consular and welfare assistance,' it said. The Philippines is one of the world's largest providers of shipping manpower in the world. A bulk of Filipino seamen or more than 20 percent of the world's 1.2 million sailors are manning oil tankers, cargo ships, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
