CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- An official of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Mindanao Regional Office reminded the public here to manage and protect their digital footprint to avoid scams.

BSP Senior Research Specialist Maria Kathelina Olea said online activities create a digital footprint that can reveal personal information to others, making it susceptible to the exploitation of hackers and identity thieves.

A digital footprint refers to the trail left behind by one’s online activities, such as browsing history, social media activities, emails, online subscriptions, and uploaded photos and videos tagged with one's name.

To avoid scams and identity theft, Olea advised everyone to take care of their gadgets, develop a habit of logging out when not in use, download from legitimate sites only, implement multi-factor authentication, and refrain from uploading photos of ID cards.

"Huwag din ilagay ang [mother's] maiden name kasi pag nag-aaply sa bangko kailangan ang maiden name. Also information like birthdays and mobile numbers, address, kasi hinihingi ito pag-umaaply tayo ng IDs o account sa bank [Don't put your mother's maiden name because when applying to the bank, the maiden name is required. Also, information like birthdays, mobile numbers, and addresses because it is required when we apply for IDs or bank accounts]," she said.

Olea further recommended to refrain from sharing Wi-Fi passwords, avoid connections to unsecured free Wi-Fi networks, and disabling the autosave feature for passwords. 

"Mag-ingat din sa pinopost at wag mag-share ng basta-bastang impormasyon [Also, be careful with what you post and don't share random information]," she added.

Experiencing the hassle of being a victim of an online scam, Wilmer Carabanes from Cagayan de Oro City said he was never able to get some sleep when his account was hacked, knowing that his family members and friends would send money to the hacker aside from losing his photos and other mementos in his social media account.

"Important kaayo (nga protektahan ang online information), let's be vigilant sa mga phishing, scammers. Avoid sharing, kung mag-share, be sure nga legit. Don't open videos, link [It's very important to protect your online information. Let's be vigilant about phishing and scammers. Avoid sharing anything online; if you really need to, make sure that it is legit. Don't open videos and links]," Carabanes said.

Olea was one of the financial literacy speakers during the BSP Piso Caravan in the city on July 28 to 29. The caravan is part of their efforts to promote public awareness and encourage the public to preserve the integrity of the local currency. (APB/PIA-10)