By Brian Campued
This holiday season, various forms of fraudulent activities are expected to be more prevalent—all the more reason for Filipinos to remain vigilant against the “12 Scams of Christmas”.
In a press conference on Monday, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, together with Scam Watch Pilipinas and private sector partners, officially launched its Holiday Watch PH 2025 campaign to keep Filipinos educated on the top online scams during the season.
CICC acting Executive Director, Usec. Renato “Aboy” Paraiso said scammers adjust techniques year-round depending on the season—with cases of online shopping scams shooting up during Christmas, love scams during Valentine’s Day, and travel scams during the summer.
“The holiday season is when scammers become more aggressive and creative. This awareness campaign is part of our duty to equip every Filipino with the right knowledge so they won’t fall victim to fraudulent messages, fake deliveries, phishing calls, and other kinds of scams,” Paraiso stressed.
“Our goal is simple—to protect every Filipino from cybercriminals this Christmas,” he added.
Scam Watch co-founder and Truth360 Inc. president Jocel de Guzman said that in 2024, around 10,000 victims officially reported scams to CICC, while 30,000 reports went through the eGovPH App.
De Guzman noted that 38% of the scams were the non-delivery of goods, followed by impersonation scams at 12%, job scams at 11%, and financial fraud at 10%.
This year, the public is warned against the following 12 Scams of Christmas:
- Online Shopping Scam
- Fake Delivery Scam
- Call Scam
- Task / Job Scam
- Investment Scam
- Love Scam
- Loan Scam
- Impersonation Scam
- Travel Scam
- Charity Scam
- Middleman Scam
- Online Gambling Scam
To combat these holiday scams, de Guzman urged the public to adopt the “Kontra Scam Attitude”, consisting of four key habits—”magdamot” (be cautious), “magduda” (be skeptical), “mang-isnab” (ignore suspicious messages), and “magsumbong” (report scams immediately).
He also reminded the victims to call the National Anti-Scam Hotline 1326, while others can submit screenshots of possible scams through the eReport section of the eGovPH App. (with report from Rod Lagusad / PTV News)
-jpv
