LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in Region 1 has warned the public about the various scams proliferating through text messages and online and promoted how to properly report suspicious messages that could lead to scams.

During her interview on the Danggay iti Panagdur-as radio program, NTC  legal officer Ana Minelle Maningding said they have been receiving reports from the region on prize scams, the receipt of suspicious links, and online love scams.

Maningdig explained that prize scams usually start with a call or message that says “you’re a winner” and to get the so-called prize, the victim has to send money or click a link that asks for their personal information.

“This is very dangerous because not only are they going to take your money, but this scam can also be used for identity theft. Once a victim gives the scammer their personal information, that can be used to access their banks, other documents, and can also be used to scam other people as well,” the legal officer warned.

Meanwhile, a love scam is an online dating scam, where a fraudster tricks someone into a fake romantic relationship.

The scammer adopts a fake identity to gain their victim's trust, with the goal of getting money or enough personal information to steal their identity.

“Scammers build emotional connections with their victims, often claiming to work abroad. Most of the time, the scammer is pretending they are foreign national. One of the easiest ways to confirm this scam is if they do not want to do video calls, that would already be suspicious,” Maningdig said.

To avoid falling victim to these scams, Maningding advised to observe the following safety tips:

• Do not share your One Time Password (OTP);
  
• Do not give personal and financial information like identification cards or birth certificates; 
  
• Do not click on suspicious links;
• Verify  information from organizations or agencies involved in said messages; and
• Exercise block, ignore, report, and delete (BIRD) after receiving a possible message scam.
  

Victims of text scams can directly report to the NTC online at their website, ntc.gov.ph, under the complaints page tab.

NTC accommodates the following concerns: telecommunication issues, stolen or lost cell phones and SIM cards, text scams and spams, and blocking phone numbers of scammers.

If a victim has already been scammed for money, they can directly report it to the cybercrime unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Moreover, the Cybercrime Investigation & Coordinating Center (CICC) is now also open for online complaints through the link https://cicc.gov.ph/report/

“Through the CICC, victims can report all types of mobile scams. The CICC is working with the NTC, DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), and the police to bring these scammers to justice and help the victims. When a victim reports to the CICC, they will cascade it to us for proper action, same with the other agencies,” Maningding said. 

The NTC can also be reached through their hotline number, 1682. 

The Danggay iti Panagdur-as radio program is a weekly program anchored by the PIA Ilocos Norte Information Center. (JCR/MJTAB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)