BAGUIO CITY (PIA) -- The Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit-Cordillera (RACU-Cor) warns the public to be cautious when using online platforms and engaging in digital activities so as not to be victimized by cybercrimes.
 
Cybercrime or computer crime is using a computer as an instrument to further illegal acts such as committing fraud, violating privacy, among others.
 
PSSg Samie Imado of RACU-Cor said that among the trending cybercrime cases they have handled are fraud or online scams. Of the 72 cybercrime cases they have recorded in the second quarter of 2023, 47 involved fraud.
 
Imado said that most of the online cases they have documented are tasking scams and transient scams.

"Sa tasking scam, maraming gustong mag-invest, maraming gustong kumita ng easy money siguro kaya nagugustuhan nilang mag-invest. Akala nila, may kikitain sila, at the end, wala pala, sila pa 'yung nahuthutan," Imado explained.
 
Tasking scam, he said, has certain similarities with investment scams but it involves the purchase of goods to have an income. The investor may appear to be making money on a platform, but this is not the case.
 
"Makikita mo lang sa platform na kumikita ka, siyempre sa platform lang 'yun, wala naman talagang pera, kasi ikaw ang nagbibigay through G-cash  through banks," Imado said.

Transient scam, on the other hand, entails  the promotion of transient homes that do not actually exist. It  involves  the exploitation of photographs from the internet to give the impression that they are real.
 
With the proliferation of these scams, Imado advised the public to check on a company's legitimacy by consulting other websites, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or other concerned offices.
 
The legitimacy of transients can also be confirmed through the internet. "Kung gusto ninyong i-check 'yung legitimacy ng transient, kunyari nag-send siya ng pictures ng kwarto niya, bahay na pinapaupa niya, i-check ninyo kung saan ba talaga 'yun. Pwede ninyong i-drag 'yung picture sa google search, then makikita mo kung nasaan 'yung lugar na 'yun."
 
The RACU-Cor was able to make ten  arrests this year, mostly involving  estafa and a case related to the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009.
 
Imado reminded the public that any crime committed using technology or internet carries one degree higher punishment.
 
Pursuant to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, computer-related offenses such as forgery, fraud, and identity theft are punishable with imprisonment of prision mayor or a fine of at least P200,000 up to a maximum amount commensurate to the damage incurred or both.

Content-related offenses such as unsolicited commercial communications are punishable with a fine of at least P50,000 but not exceeding P250,000 for each transmission. (JDP/DEG-PIA CAR)