Online scams are becoming more prevalent and sophisticated in the Philippines, targeting unsuspecting victims who may lose their money, personal information, or even their identity. To combat this growing threat, #ScamWatchPH, a movement that aims to raise awareness and educate the public about online scams, is urging Filipinos to save the Inter-Agency Response Center (I-ARC) Hotline 1326 on their mobile devices in case they need it.
The I-ARC Hotline 1326 is a 24/7 hotline that can be used to report any type of online scam, such as investment scams, phishing scams, text scams, email scams, caller ID spoofing scams, romance scams, and more.
The hotline is a project of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), Department of Information, Communications, and Technology (DICT), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and National Privacy Commission (NPC), with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as its law enforcement arm.
Art Samaniego, #ScamWatch co-lead convenor and Manila Bulletin (MB) technology editor, said that the movement is helping the government amplify the I-ARC Hotline 1326.
“The 1326 hotline is manned by trained professionals who can help you with your scam cases. Many cases that I referred to 1326 hotline were resolved immediately,” Samaniego said.
Aside from 1326, victims of online scams can also call or message the other I-ARC numbers: 0947-714-7105 (SMART), 0966-976-5971 (Globe), and 0991-481-4225 (DITO).
For more information about #ScamWatchPH, follow their page at facebook.com/scamwatchpilipinas.
