Cybercrimes, online scams tripled in H1 2023

As online frauds and other cybercrimes surged between January and June of 2023, the Department of Information and Communications Technology secured the support of the largest social media platforms, including Google, YouTube, TikTok, and Meta – leading to an increased focus on cybersecurity measures.

DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy highlighted what is perhaps the biggest potential collective vulnerability for Filipinos online, and the aspect of life online that they need to be most security-conscious about, social media. 

 Cybersecurity Month 2023 was organized by DICT in partnership with Digital Pilipinas, now the largest private sector led movement for creating an innovation and technology ecosystem in the country that is actively engaged in a global digital economy through its domestic and international trajectories. 

As reported by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) under the Office of the President, the total number of online scams – such as those that happen across social media – went up to nearly triple what it was in the same period of 2022, in the first half of 2023, reaching 4,446 reported cases. 

In a move to affirm the national government’s commitment to lead the country to digital transformation through cybersecurity, the DICT hosted the Social Media Commitment Event, to which social media companies, government agency officials, and private sector representatives declared their commitment to support the DICT push on intensified cybersecurity.  
 
Social media comprises one of the key pillars of digital transformation, especially given the fact that more than 70% of Filipinos are active on various social media platforms, directly contributing to the potential pool of victims of online scams. 

“Cybersecurity has become a deep concern for everyone, and the reason for this is the rapid move from brick-and-mortar to digital landscapes. The scale, speed, and level of penetration of digitalization in our everyday lives is unprecedented,” said Sec. Uy. He added that the economic presence of ASEAN through e-commerce presents a very attractive pie for cybercriminals and cyber threat actors. 

Sec. Uy continued, “It becomes vital for us to all be concerned and to address that concern by coming together, working together, collaborating, and sharing what resources we have from different sectors in order to help protect our consumers and citizens in this area.”

DICT Undersecretary for Connectivity, Cybersecurity, and Upskilling, Jeffrey Ian C. Dy highlighted the campaign, “Sama-sama para sa Cyberseguridad” which, he said, encapsulates the essence of unity and shared responsibility in protecting our digital realm, as we work collectively towards a digitally safe Philippines. 

“Today, as we sign this commitment,” Dy continued, “the DICT and its esteemed social media partners are coming together to share knowledge, insights, and technology in our pursuit of cybersecurity.” 

The program culminated in one big commitment signing event which, according to DICT Sec. Uy, is quite unprecedented. The first part of the signing featured all the top social media giants including ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, and Google, representing both Google and YouTube. The second part involved representatives from the private sector, government sector officials, and key representatives from foreign embassies.