As Christmas approaches, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) urged the public anew to practice caution when shopping online, particularly in social media platforms.
PLtCol Jay Guillermo, chief of PNP-ACG Cyber Response Unit, reiterated the warning on Wednesday, Dec. 13, due to the proliferation of scammers masquerading as online sellers.
Guillermo admitted that authorities have difficulties going after these scammers who disappear o go inactive in social media after receiving payment from the buyer.
He advised the public to go for the cash-on-delivery option rather than paying online to avoid becoming victim to scams.
"Hindi ka dapat nagbibigay ng pera kaagad," Guillermo said during DILG sa DZRH Breaktime.
He also warned the public from clicking any suspicious links since they could contain malicious softwares that could compromise the data inside their devices or redirect them to questionable sites .
Guillermo shared that most victims of online scammers tend to live in rural areas that have recently acquired internet service since they lack awareness of these criminal activities and malicious programs.
"Ang panglaban lang talaga natin diyan ay kailangan malaman ng bawat gumagamit ng online transaction na meron mga krimen sa online na hindi natin napapansin," the PNP-ACG Cyber Response Unit stressed.
"Huwag silang pindot ng pindot, like ng like, share ng share, download ng download kasi hindi nila alam na ito pala ay may mga program na kung saan pwede niyang kalkalin kung anong laman ng inyong gadget," he added.
As part of the campaign against online criminals, the PNP-ACG trains local police stations to investigate cybercrimes.
