How to use hotline 1326 and eGOVPH against fraud and fake news
From love scams to bank accounts emptied by fraudulent calls, phishing attempts are hitting us from different angles. They play on our trust and our worries just to get their hands on our cash. This is why the urgency to combat this problem has never been more critical. In the Philippines, two vital resources are answering the call: Hotline 1326 and the eGOVPH e-Report system.
On Friday, March 21, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center signed a memorandum of agreement with the Presidential Communications Office to promote the use of the eGOVPH app's e-Report to expose scams as well as the recognition of Hotline 1326 as the national anti-scam hotline.
CICC executive director Alexander Ramos said in a press briefing at Malacañang that they are working on promoting "industry standards for content creation and distribution including the establishment of guidelines for transparency and labeling of manipulated media."
He continued, "Our social media is so bastardized already and we have to address it—and this is one of the concrete actions we're taking."
Ramos also underscored the usage of a P2 million tool acquired from Ensign Info Security at a recent exhibition in Singapore that can spot deepfake content in just 30 seconds. This will be shared with accredited partners, including independent fact-checkers.
"We will not centralize the decision-making on whether it's deepfake or not. We would like to have a community standard for this, independent fact-checking that we will give to civil society," he noted.
Moreover, the CICC official said a National Deepfake Task Force led by the PCO would also be formed to boost the anti-disinformation drive.
How to use Hotline 1326
Hotline 1326 is the main hotline of the Inter-Agency Response Center, which is available 24/7 and offers assistance for a range of scam cases, including investment fraud, phishing, text and email scams, caller ID spoofing, romance scams, and other online threats.
Meanwhile, the public can dial other mobile numbers associated with different telecom providers, as per Scam Watch Pilipinas, the "national citizen arm of the Philippine government to educate Filipinos against cyber fraud."
Smart users can dial the I-ARC through 0947-7147105, while Globe and DITO holders can contact 0966-9765971 and 0991-4814225, respectively.
How to use eGOVPH's e-Report
Scam victims can now easily report incidents through the eGov app, which offers a dedicated platform for users to submit suspicious links and have them investigated.
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:
- Open the eGov app. Download and launch the eGov Super App from Google Play or the App Store on your mobile device.
- Head to the "More" section. Once the app is open, tap the "More" option to access additional features.
- Select "Report". In the "More" section, tap on the "Report" option to start filing your complaint. In reporting, you must provide your name, phone number, and email address.
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- Choose "Scam". From the list of report categories, select "Scam" to flag fraudulent activity.
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- Choose the sub-category. Choose from the sub-category section to report what kind of scam you've received or experienced.
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- Write a message. You can detail the incident by narrating it through the tab provided.
- Upload screenshots. You can upload up to five screenshots of the scam message, including the sender's contact number, for further investigation.
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- Submit the report. Follow the instructions to submit your scam report and act against fraud.
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Scammers know how to profile their target
According to a report from the Taiwanese mobile app Whoscall, scam texts and calls in the Philippines surged by 200% in the first eight months of 2024.
From January 1 to August 15, over three million scam texts and 320,000 scam calls were reported. The most common scams included phishing (25%), fake gift card and promotion scams (18%), unauthorized app downloads (17%), and job, loan, and investment scams (15%).
Whoscall's country representative, Mel Migriño, highlighted that scammers target users based on profiles, such as those likely to fall for investment or loan scams.
The app helps raise awareness by identifying scam numbers and malicious links in text messages and can even detect data leaks. Migriño also emphasized that the app works without an internet connection, alerting users about scams in real-time.
This report came nearly two years after implementing the SIM Card Registration Act, which aims to combat scams, bank fraud, disinformation, and other cybercrimes in the Philippines. (with reports from Alexis Romero)
