Victims of love scams expected to rise this February — CICC

More Filipinos looking for romance are expected to fall victims in scams during February, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said.

 According to Oscar Oida’s report in Wednesday’s 24 Oras, the CICC said that up to 15 Filipinos a day fall victim to online love scams in what is popularly known as the “month of love”.

The CICC said that the loving and hardworking nature of Filipinos make them vulnerable to becoming victims of such online modus where perpetrators trick a person into an intimate relationship and will suddenly ask for money.

“Sa lahat talaga very emotional tayo palagi and because of this attitude pwede ka na i-program sa (artificial intelligence) kung papaano gagantsuhin ang Pilipino…naka profile na tayo and they know na highly vulnerable tayo and they know masipag ang mga Pilipino kaya maraming ipon kaya tinatarget tayo,” said CICC executive director Alexander Ramos.

(We are very emotional and because of this attitude, you can be programmed via AI on how to trick a Filipino. We have been profiled and they know how highly vulnerable we are and they are aware how much Filipinos earn that’s why they target us.)

Former Overseas Filipino Worker “Juliet” met an alleged Norwegian man online whom she found online. The blue eyes and sweet personality of the foreigner made her fall in love with him.

“Nakakakilig po, siyempre tatawagin kang baby, e hindi ko naman naranasan ‘yun,” she said.

(I was on cloud nine because I was never called ‘baby’ in my life.)

But afterwards, her online date suddenly began acting suspiciously.

“Hiningi na niya full name ko, tapos magkano ang sahod ko sa isang buwan,” said “Juliet.”

(He suddenly asked for my full name and how much I earn in a month.)

She added that the man refused her invitation for a video call. She became more suspicious when he asked her for money.

“Sinabihan pa niya ako mangutang ka sa amo mo, sabihin mo emergency,” she said.

(He even told me to borrow money from my boss because there’s an emergency.)

It was a bittersweet love story for “Juliet.”

“Akala ko totoo siya, ayun pala scammer…Kapag sobrang pogi, mahirap,” she said.

(I thought he was real, but it turned out he was a scammer…It’s very hard now to trust a handsome guy.)

So what are the red flags in online dating?

The CICC warned the public that some profile pictures on social media can be too good to be true and urged people to always check if he or she has tagged photos, the report added.

Another warning is if the person refuses to go on a video call.

But the most alarming sign is when one is already asking for money or inviting you to invest into something.

“Kaya po yung mga profiles napaka-importante po yan para po ma-spot kasi ang problem karamihan ng love scam, (long distance relationship) foreigners, so there's no chance ma-meet,” said Josen de Guzman, Scamwatch PH co-convenor.

(Checking on the profiles are so important so we can easily spot the problem because most of them are love scams, foreigners who are on LDR, so there’s no chance for a meet up.)
—Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News