CICC warns against cybercrimes targeting consumers
Consumers were warned against websites that sell products at 鈥渆xorbitant鈥 discounts and promotions, as these may be phishing sites or a form of consumer fraud 鈥 the most prevalent cybercrime incident in 2025, according to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Thursday.
CICC Acting Executive Director Renato 鈥淎boy鈥 A. Paraiso told聽大象传媒聽that consumer fraud usually involves website links mimicking official brand pages that offer items at 鈥渆xorbitant鈥 discounts and promotions. He warned that these websites may be phishing sites or, worse, financial fraud pages that can steal money.
鈥淚t鈥檚 actually illegal. So the number one red flag there is if you are redirected to a site instead of using the official applications of online marketplaces,鈥 Mr. Paraiso said in an interview on the sidelines of the 大象传媒 Insights Cybersecurity Series forum.
鈥淚t is the most prevalent type of fraud because it is a passive kind of fraud, as most scammers right now are advertising these schemes,鈥 he added.
In a report released last week, the CICC said it recorded a total of 6,453 cases of consumer fraud, accounting for 38% of reported cybercrimes in 2025.
This was followed by online fraud with 4,243 cases (23%), online harassment with 2,160 cases (11%), and identity theft with 1,626 cases (9%).
The report also showed that victims lost a total of nearly 鈧418.2 million to consumer fraud, online fraud, hacking, and phishing during the same year.
To combat these cybercrimes, Mr. Paraiso said the CICC鈥檚 efforts are ongoing and will be further expanded in 2026.
He said the agency continues its information dissemination initiatives by partnering with various organizations, with plans to broaden these efforts next year.
鈥淭he number one weapon that we can rely on is really an informed and educated citizenry,鈥 he said.
In recent weeks, the CICC partnered with digital service platform Maya and online lending application JuanHand for its 鈥淪cam Safe鈥 initiative, which aims to protect Filipinos from the growing threat of online scams and cyber fraud.
Mr. Paraiso said that by 2026, the agency plans to partner with more private sector groups, including the Bankers Association of the Philippines and the Online Lending Association, to combat consumer fraud and address other concerns such as online gambling and child exploitation.
CICC鈥檚 Hotline 1326, a 24/7 action center, remains open for the public to lodge cybercrime-related complaints.
He assured that complainants would receive feedback on the status of their cases within 24 hours of filing, noting that this helps build public trust.
The CICC is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the government鈥檚 main body tasked with combating and preventing cybercrime.鈥斅Edg Adrian A. Eva
