A major step towards strengthening the country’s digital landscape was recently made as Scam Watch Pilipinas (#ScamWatchPH) strengthened its partnership with the Department of Information, Communication and Technology (DICT), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ), and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to address the growing issue of cyber fraud.
The strategic partnership was cemented through a covenant signing of the National Cybercrime Hub, which formally recognizes and institutionalizes #ScamWatchPH as a national citizen movement and an important arm of government in promoting cyber safety.
Founded by Manila Bulletin (MB) and startup reputation management brand Truth360, #ScamWatchPH is dedicating its resources to arming Filipinos with essential knowledge to defend themselves against online scams while using CICC prevention tools. and combating cybercrimes.
Aside from representatives of DICT, CICC, NTC, Manila Bulletin, and Truth360, the historic event was witnessed by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara from the Office of the President and retired Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes.
DICT Secretary Atty. Ivan John Uy hailed the signing as a milestone, saying “This is an initiative that marks our joint effort to protect and empower our communities. Here, we bring together the public as well as the private sectors to collaborate with our common vision to raise awareness against the endless tactics of scammers.
“It’s time to wake up. Time to learn. It’s time to participate,” urged Uy while praising the continuous efforts of the founders of Scam Watch Pilipinas and the CICC to raise awareness of online scams.
CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Ramos also noted that #ScamWatchPH will boost CICC’s cybercrime prevention initiatives.
“In this event, we want the public to wake up because there is hope to avoid being victimized. We want the public to report to stop cybercrime because we have the technology to help people. We also have the PNP and NBI in the field to help us in enforcement,” said Ramos, urging everyone to report cybercrime incidents through CICC’s hotline 1326.
Meanwhile, the co-lead convenors of #ScamWatchPH emphasized the important role of education and awareness campaigns in this battle.
“The breadth and depth of online fraud activities have become alarmingly complex, from phishing scams that trick people into revealing sensitive information to sophisticated schemes involving fake e-commerce sites . In the face of this digital threat, comprehensive initiatives such as #ScamWatchPH become important in responding to risks and preemptively participating in them,” said Manila Bulletin Technology Editor Art Samaniego. “This initiative aims to instill a culture of constant vigilance by providing practical advice on identifying scams and promoting skepticism in unsolicited messages.”
Truth360 Founder and President Jocel De Guzman added that the goal of the movement is to “bring the government’s cybersecurity initiatives that can help victims of cyber fraud to the public through a constant information dissemination campaign. We also want to protect our brand partners’ customers and clients by having a unified approach to cybersecurity messaging. “
With this partnership, a new era of digital surveillance begins, ensuring a comprehensive and proactive stance against the rise of online threats.
Follow and like the #ScamWatchPH FB Page at facebook.com/scamwatchpilipinas.
