DICT IMPLEMENTS ‘OPLAN PASKONG SIGURADO’ TO PROTECT PUBLIC FROM ONLINE SCAMS

“WALANG Pilipinong mai-scam ngayong Pasko.”

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said on Wednesday that it is working with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), banks, and law enforcers to protect the public from online scams this Christmas season.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the initiative is under the agency’s Oplan Paskong Sigurado that aims to shield the public from online scammers.

“Ilang beses ko na sigurong nabanggit sa inyo, inutos po ng Presidente sa akin at sa DICT itong Pasko na ito walang Pilipinong mai-scam,” Aguda said.

“So, tuloy-tuloy po iyan at were making sure, we’re working with BSP, with the banks, with the law enforcers matiwasay po dapat ang Pasko natin. So tuloy-tuloy lang po kayong mag-e-commerce, e-transaction,” the DICT chief added.

Aguda asserted that there has been no data breach involving e-wallet services, citing the verification done by the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

“Habang nagpapatuloy po na mag-verify kami doon sa mga report kasi kailangan naming gawin, gusto lang po namin linawin, we concluded—fake news po iyon, parang may na-recycle na news in the past na lumutang na lang,” he said.

“And sinabi naman ng website mismo, it’s unverified. So out of abundance of prudence and caution, NPC thought of checking it out and lumabas naman po wala pong problema,” Aguda emphasized.

In the past, authorities recorded a spike in online scams during the Christmas season, driven by increased online shopping and a focus on giving during the holidays, making people more vulnerable to phishing, fake websites, and other fraudulent activities.