BY: CHARLES NIKKO LIMON
Selling popcorn and other food items is the livelihood of 66-year-old Gloria.
She earns only a small amount, so she has to be extremely frugal.
That’s why she was overjoyed when she received a call saying she had won a huge cash prize.
But there was a condition.
But she became suspicious when the caller insisted she send money to a certain number to claim her winnings and provide the OTP or one-time password to the e-wallet recipient.
That’s when she realized she was talking to a scammer.
Gloria is just one of the thousands of Filipinos who fall victim to scammers.
According to a study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), scammers stole 460 billion pesos in the country in 2024 alone.
The group also found that 73% of Filipinos have the ability to recognize a scam.
The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, together with an e-wallet service provider, aims to increase this number by promoting cybersecurity awareness.
Aside from strict cyber-patrolling, another focus of the Anti-Cybercrime Group is promoting cyber hygiene.
This involves protecting the personal data that users receive to secure their e-wallet accounts.
Additionally, the public is advised not to use easily guessed passwords.
Xyrille acknowledges this advice but has her own strategy.
Meanwhile, Gram is very cautious when investing online.
The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group plans to continue spreading this awareness by visiting different parts of the country.
