Advocacy group advocating for quick response to rising digital fraud incidents calls for immediate action.
Hear This: The Trabaho Partylist, ranked at #106 on the ballot, has sounded the alarm over a mounting digital threat to workers' hard-earned cash. They're puttin' pressure on government agencies, financial institutions, and tech companies to get their acts together and safeguard the people's money.
Here's the cold, hard truth: According to TransUnion's Omnichannel Fraud Report, the Philippines ranked number two globally in digital fraud rates back in 2024. That's not all, their fraud rate soared to a whopping 13.4%, significantly higher than the measly global average of 5.4%. Pincers, account theft, and identity snafu were among the most common types of cybercrime that took a bite out of Filipinos' wallets.
Now, you might be wonderin' what's the big fuss about. Well, let me spell it out.
"Workers slave away in tough conditions, only to have their earned dough swiped by rotten crooks," said spokesperson Atty. Mitchell-David L. Espiritu in a statement.
Wanna know the kicker? Victims were often manipulated into sinking their savings into online jobs, never to see a return.
So, what's the plan to save our hardworking folk from these digital cutthroats? Well, Trabaho Partylist suggests a holy trinity of mainstream edumacation programs aimed at the uninitiated. Lookin' like daily messenger blasts, free tele-edumacation ads, and grassroots seminars.
The focus? Teachin' folks how to sniff out phishing schemes and fake sites, educatin' workers on secure financial platform usage, and raisin' awareness about multi-factor authentication and strong password habits.
Espiritu pointed out that existing efforts to spread awareness, like bank email reviews, need to level up given the rise in digital fraud.
And if that ain't enough, Trabaho Partylist wants a 'congressional dig into digital fraud, aimin' to identify legislative measures that can fix the gaps in cybersecurity protection and awareness.
The bottom line, folks: It's about time we took digital fraud seriously. This ain't no game, and it's high time we put a stop to it.
- The Trabaho Partylist, ranked at #106 on the ballot, is urging government agencies, financial institutions, and tech companies to prioritize cybersecurity, as the Philippines ranked second globally in digital fraud rates in 2024 with a staggering 13.4% rate.
- Filipinos have been victims of various types of cybercrime, such as pincers, account theft, and identity fraud, which have significantly impacted their hard-earned money.
- Atty. Mitchell-David L. Espiritu, a spokesperson for Trabaho Partylist, stated, "Workers slave away in tough conditions, only to have their earned dough swiped by rotten crooks."
- Trabaho Partylist proposes a three-pronged approach to fight digital fraud, including daily education messages, free tele-education advertisements, and grassroots seminars to promote digital literacy.
- The educational programs aim to teach individuals how to identify phishing schemes, use secure financial platforms, and practice good password habits.
- Additionally, Trabaho Partylist calls for a congressional investigation into digital fraud to identify necessary legislative measures to improve cybersecurity protection and awareness, particularly in the general-news and crime-and-justice sectors.
