MANILA – Acting Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Tuesday ordered the police Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to intensify its efforts to combat the expected surge of online shopping scams and fake delivery schemes ahead of the peak Christmas season.
Noting that online fraud cases spike during the Christmas season, Nartatez directed the ACG to increase surveillance on known scam hotspots, fake websites, and suspicious online sellers.
"Malaki po ang threat level ngayon. Every Christmas season, tumataas talaga ang fraud cases, pero this year mas aggressive ang mga scammers, lalo na online (The threat level is high right now. Every Christmas season, fraud cases become rampant, but this year, scammers are more aggressive, especially online)," he said in a statement.
"The PNP is on alert to protect our communities from these digital and delivery-related crimes."
Nartatez ordered the deployment of dedicated "holiday cyber patrols" to track phishing campaigns, fraudulent ads, and emerging online threats on social media and e-commerce platforms.
"Based on our monitoring, ang pinakakaraniwan ngayon ay (the most common today is) online shopping scams, fake delivery parcels, phishing links, and impersonation schemes," he said.
According to the PNP-ACG, 3,941 online scam cases were recorded from January to Nov. 13 this year, broken down into online selling scams (1,630 cases), investment/task scams (589), vishing (431), hijacked profile/ID scams (326) and loan/lending scams (251).
Other schemes reported involve accommodation and travel scams (135), smishing (113), fake bookings (99), phishing (108), e-wallet fraud (79), romance/love scams (50), employment/seminar scams (40), debit/credit card fraud (50), parcel/package scams (27), and fake receipt or legit buyer scams (13).
The PNP is prioritizing entrapment operations against groups behind parcel-delivery scams, fake online sellers, phishing syndicates, and SIM/OTP harvesting activities.
Cyber investigators are also mapping possible links between local fraud groups and foreign crime networks.
"May mga cases na may (There were cases with) cross-border elements, and we're coordinating closely with international partners," Nartatez said.
To prevent the circulation of fake parcels, the PNP is strengthening coordination with major couriers, online marketplaces, and payment service providers.
The PNP urged the public to use the Unified 911 System in reporting suspicious deliveries and high-risk accounts so they can be quickly flagged and investigated.
The ACG is also working with fraud prevention teams of partner companies to help dismantle scam operations at the source.
Nartatez reminded the public to remain vigilant and urged shoppers to verify sellers, read reviews, and rely on trusted platforms when purchasing online.
He also enjoined communities to help spread accurate information and report scam attempts promptly. (PNA)