Scam Watch Pilipinas, CCWI to provide anti-scam education

SCAM Watch Pilipinas, an anti-scam advocacy group, has partnered with the Citizens Crime Watch Internationale (CCWI) Unified Force and Anti-Crime and Corruption, Inc. to educate more Filipinos on online scam prevention.

The partnership seeks to provide CCWI’s 1.3 million members with an accessible learning module that promotes online behavioral change, digital and financial literacy, and cyber hygiene.

It also aims to help CCWI members recognize early warning signs of cyber fraud and misinformation, according to Scam Watch Pilipinas Co-Founder Jocel G. De Guzman.

“Scam Watch Pilipinas has been spearheading anti-scam awareness campaigns since July 2023, significantly improving public understanding of online fraud. Despite these efforts, many individuals are still reluctant to report scams to the anti-scam hotline 1326 due to skepticism about enforcement outcome,” Mr. De Guzman said in a statement.

With the partnership, CCWI’s members will be enlisted into the Volunteer Watcher Program, as part of the organization’s advocacy to address the proliferation of cybercrime in the country.

CCWI is a non-governmental organization focused on disseminating information on crime prevention and educating citizens on personal protection, home security, crime reporting, environmental awareness, and socio-economic development.

According to Mr. De Guzman, CCWI members will also be equipped with Whoscall, a mobile application that blocks spam calls and filters unwanted messages.

Scam calls in the Philippines surged by 225.17% to 351,699 in the first quarter from 108,157 scam calls recorded last year. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz