Latest news with #ScamWatchPilipinas
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GMA Network
16-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Groups still apprehensive of Konektadong Pinoy amid DICT assurance
Groups continue to express apprehension on Konektadong Pinoy Bill despite assurance from the Department of Information and Communications Technology. Citizens Crime Watch Internationale said it is skeptical about the merits of the Konektadong Pinoy Bill, saying its unintended consequence may spur the proliferation of online gaming or e-gambling. Scam Watch Pilipinas, on the other hand, said the bill may spur cyber fraud and weaken the country's digital security. CCWI founder and national chairman Michelle Botor said that beyond the national security risks is a potential surge in access to online gambling platforms, which can be inadvertently fueled by the bill. 'Without robust vetting and filtering mechanisms in place, the legislation may provide unregulated e-gaming operators with easier market entry through new, unmonitored digital infrastructure,' Botor said. 'The Konektadong Pinoy legislation seeks to connect more Filipinos to internet, but if cybersecurity is treated as an afterthought, it also opens the door to serious threats - particularly from unregulated online gambling platforms,' she added. She noted that such platforms are increasingly being used to lure people into fraudulent schemes, contributing to a rise in digital addiction, debt, and the involvement of minors in illegal gambling activities. She argued that with greater digital reach and weak filters, the KPB, if enacted into law could unintentionally normalize gambling behavior among youth and vulnerable sectors of the population. For its part, the Scam Watch Pilipinas said that while it supports the bill's goal of expanding nationwide internet access and modernizing the country's digital infrastructure, it warns that several provisions may inadvertently expose the Philippines to escalating risks involving cybersecurity, and data privacy breaches. Cybersecurity stakeholders earlier urged President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. to address the cybersecurity risks found in the Konektadong Pinoy Bill, which is now awaiting the signature of the country's chief executive to become a law. In a statement Tuesday, the DICT said it welcomes the public dialogue surrounding the measure, which is now awaiting the President's signature. It said it acknowledges the concerns raised by various stakeholders regarding potential regulatory and cybersecurity risks. 'We affirm our shared commitment with civil society, industry, and government partners to uphold national security, consumer protection, and universal access to secure, affordable, and reliable internet,' the ICT Department said. 'The DICT will never allow deregulation at the expense of security or public interest. The Konektadong Pinoy Bill does not weaken the role of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC),' it added. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
The Star
26-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Watchdog renews push to limit SIM registration in Philippines to fight scams
MANILA: Internet security watchdog Scam Watch Pilipinas has renewed calls to limit the number of registered subscriber identity modules (SIMs) per person as part of a bid to fight online scams. 'In terms of legislation [as part of efforts to combat online scams], the first thing to do is to fix the holes in the SIM Registration Law,' Scam Watch Pilipinas founder Jocel De Guzman said mostly in Filipino during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday (June 25). 'A person can register an unlimited number of SIM cards under his name. That's the first thing. The people being arrested by General Yang, one person can have 600 registered SIMs,' he added. De Guzman was referring to Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang. Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop said that choosing not to pursue the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte would convey the wrong message—that justice is selective and only applies to the poor and powerless. Signed into law in 2022, Republic Act 11934 to the SIM Registration Act required Filipinos to register their SIM cards in an effort to reduce cyber crimes. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) previously proposed allowing only three or four registered SIMs per person. However, De Guzman proposed a limit of 10 registered SIMs per person to give leeway for businesses and to allow parents to give SIMs to their children, if they are minors. At the same forum, Yang said the PNP ACG arrested 608 individuals from December 2024 to June 20, 2025 for various cyber crimes, including selling pre-registered SIM cards, a violation of RA 11934. Also at the forum, tech firm Gogolook Philippines reported that its content checker application detected around 7,200 scams and nearly 2,900 potential scams out of over 20,800 reports of suspicious content online from March to mid-June this year. Following the enactment of the law, the DICT warned that new scams were developing, such as people selling pre-registered cards and charging a fee to get users registered. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
GMA Network
25-06-2025
- GMA Network
Online scam watchdog launches cyberscam reporting platform
An anti-scam watchdog group on Wednesday launched an online platform enabling Filipinos to report cyber scams. 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
