#online scam

As the holiday season nears, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) warned the public to be ‘extra careful’ in shopping online. [caption id="attachment_347351" align="alignnone" width="720"] Photo/ CICC[/caption] In an advisory, CICC cited the recent 2023 Asia Scam Report, stating that the country reached 35.9 percent in shopping scam rate—the highest among 11 Asian countries surveyed. “Scammers take advantage of the high volume of online shopping and people’s vulnerability during this period,” CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos explained. According to him, that mindset and with Filipinos tendency to respond immediately when confronted lead them vulnerable to online scams. The 2023 Asia Scam Report further presented that 24.8% of Filipino victims respond too quickly on scammers’ demands—which is only one of the main reasons for falling victim to scams. The Global Anti Scam Alliance (GASA) along with Gogolook published the report based on 20,000 respondents across 11 Asian countries: Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, China and Indonesia. CICC advised the public to call 1326 if they fall victims of shopping scams and other cybercrimes. Christmas time is the biggest season for online shopping with big-ticket items such as toys, games, and electronics as top items in most people’s shopping carts. Read more in our articles including "PH shopping scam rate is highest in 11 Asian countries –report" and "Holiday Scams to Watch Out and How to Avoid Them".