As Valentine's Day approaches, beware of 'love scams' -- PNP

Source: The Manila times
Author: Catherine S. Valente

MANILA, Philippines: As Valentine's Day approaches, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday warned the public against the so-called online "love scams."

In a Palace briefing, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. said that scammers usually look at the "profile" of their victims, and choose those who are sad, alone, love sick, widowed, and even those who lost their loved ones.

Abalos said scammers would study what kind of music their victims want, as well as what food they eat.

"They will talk to you as if they know you. They will say that you have similar tastes. The truth is they already profiled you. It's like that," Abalos told reporters.

"It's almost Valentine's, let us be careful. If we don't know the person, let's take care," the DILF chief added. "So, I guess what's important here is that everyone should be aware of all of these things."

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During the same press briefing, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. admitted that "it's not a remote possibility" that scammers would take advantage of Valentine's Day.

"So, again, thank you for this and maybe, through this activity we are doing now, this press conference, maybe it will make our concerned citizens become aware," he said.

Acorda lamented that romance scams sometimes top cybercrimes right now, although he clarified that swindling or estafa is still number one with 15,000 cases; illegal access, 4,000; identity theft, 2,000; online libel, 2,000; and credit card fraud, 2,000.

While the PNP chief admitted they are having problems identifying perpetrators of the love scam because the accounts used are fictitious, he credited the SIM registration law for helping them.