Gambling scams proliferate amid surge of online casinos

National

FILIPINOS are now being preyed on by scammers through gambling sites.

Based on the latest data frim Whoscall, Filipinos are no longer experiencing scams via texts and calls but are being targeted through social media platforms like Facebook.

Reports of unsafe online links increased by 38%. Rising from 13, 602 in the first quarter to 18,735 in the second quarter which highlights how scams are increasingly rampant across online platforms.

Online gambling links recorded the highest increase at 76% to 4,308 as scammers took advantage of Filipinos’ addiction in online games.

Policymakers have started working on stricter rules on online gambling, to prevent minors from accessing online games, to reduce daily spending.

Links promoting fake incentives, promotions, and rewards rose by 57% to 4,496, still taking advantage of the desire of many Filipinos to quickly earn money. Meanwhile, online loan scams spiked by 20% to 9,930, as scammers exploited the growing popularity of digital lending platforms to persuade users.

Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center deputy executive director Renato Paraiso said his agency is finding as many as 20 illegal gambling sites daily.

Sites found by Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center are being turned over to Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) for review. Sites found to be illegally operating will be blocked from the Philippine Domain.

Paraiso said that they are ready to take action in inspecting websites for illegal gambling platforms once tightened regulations start.

Country head of Whoscall, Mel Migriño said that text scams fell for 90% to 65,035 in the second quarter, from 648,239 in the first quarter. Meanwhile, they have also observed a decline in scam calls from 351,699 to 34,964.(Theressa Faye Lacandazo, USC Comm Intern)