As the love month celebration begins, the government, advocacy group, and private sector anticipate a rise in love scams in the Philippines.
Online scammers prey on vulnerable individuals, exploiting their emotions through social engineering tactics to deceive them into giving away money or personal information.
In response, Whoscall, a global anti-scam application, has recently expressed support for the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), Scam Watch Pilipinas, and other private organizations in combating love scams this season.
Gogolook Philippines Country Head Mel Migriño, known for her media appearances discussing online scams, said the Whoscall app will be helpful in cases where love scams occur via SMS, instant messages and calls.
The app can detect whether the person behind the call or message is legitimate or a potential scammer.
“We Filipinos are naturally generous, which love scammers often exploit. We encourage our ‘Kababayans’ to use the Whoscall app, as its free features can help protect not just their online safety but also their hearts from love scams,” she said.
She also highlighted the threat of the unethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly deepfakes, as a growing risk in love scams.
“One way to avoid being scammed is by inviting your online partner to a video call to verify if they are the same person in their profile pictures,” Ms. Migriño warned.
“However, scammers nowadays use deepfake technology to mimic someone’s face in video calls, making love scams an even bigger threat to Filipinos,” she added.
Gogolook, the leading global TrustTech company, is also the developer of the Whoscall App.
Meanwhile, CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos warned that Filipinos’ emotional nature makes them susceptible to AI-driven scams.
“We (Filipinos) are very emotional, and because of this, AI can be used to manipulate us. Scammers have profiled us — they know our vulnerabilities and are aware of how much Filipinos earn, which is why they target us,” he said.
Mr. Ramos also noted that in previous years, many people were unaware they were being scammed and did not know where to file complaints.
He attributed the sharp rise in reported cases to increasing public awareness of cybercrimes and a growing willingness to report them.
UnMatchPH
The UnMatchPH is a campaign led by Scam Watch Pilipinas and the CICC to raise awareness about love scams and educate the public on how to recognize and avoid them.
Scammers use various tactics to manipulate victims, often preying on emotions and trust.
Some common love scam personas include Sad Boi, Sad Gurl, The Seducer, The Investor, The Servicemen, The Escort, The Blackmailer, The Slow Burn, and The Predator.
UnMatchPh reminds Filipinos to stay vigilant and think twice before trusting someone they meet online. If something feels suspicious, report it immediately and protect yourself from falling victim to these scams.
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