Hi there, my dear readers. Can you feel the Christmas air right now?

Oh yes, it's the "ber" months! Can you imagine we're down to the last four months of 2023? Where did the time go?! It was just January a while ago.

The much-awaited 13th-month pay is already waving. I got some ideas on where to spend it. With the high prices of commodities right now, it could be the most significant gift employers can give their employees for working so hard. After all, it's the season of giving, and we have all been good this year — or not? Have you been naughty or nice? Santa and his reindeers are watching.

Even the '90s pop singer Mariah Carey recently tweeted about the early Christmas in the Philippines because… all together now: "All I want for Christmas is you!" I bet you sang that part.

Indeed, it is the most beautiful time of the year for many of our fellowmen as it is the time to get together and cheer the wonderful year it has been.

But the festive season also has its negative side. I am just playing the devil's advocate here. Please don't get mad at me, except that what I'm about to discuss is true and really happening.

Ber months is also the season to be jolly for scammers and fraudsters — in online shopping, banking, investing, love scams, deliveries, and so much more. As technology advances, so do scammers with their upgraded ways.

Did you know that the National Telecommunications Commission so far this year has already received more than 45,600 complaints related to scams? Most of the victims had given money to the scammers despite the mandatory SIM Registration Act aimed at reducing fraud.

While the law allows only 17 types of identification cards to register a SIM, some fake IDs managed to get through.

Did you know that a monkey could register a SIM card? Yes, the National Bureau of Investigation revealed in the Senate that a test was done where the face of a monkey was entered, and it was successfully registered. #only in the Philippines!

Speaking of fake identities, the Philippine Ports Authority or PPA recorded an increasing number of online victims who gave money to scammers using the PPA logo. Most of the victims were expecting deliveries of balikbayan and other boxes, while others were lured into buying items with "assistance and delivery" by PPA right to their doorsteps.

The victims paid as much as P3,000 to P100,000 to persons using the PPA logo, and after sending the money, they vanished. Some victims sent screenshots of the ID and their conversation with the pretend PPA employees to the actual PPA page, asking for assistance. The PPA, however, does not facilitate transactions involving money, balikbayan boxes, or deliveries in any form.

Some victims were senior citizens looking to buy oxygen tanks; others were deceived about receiving a package from abroad. In contrast, others had bought items like motorcycles and cell phones through a WhatsApp and Viber number that showed the PPA logo. All the cases were referred to the PNP Cybercrime Division.

The start of the "ber" months could be overwhelming to some, but it could also be an opportunity for others with criminal minds. Be smarter than a scammer and avoid the hassle of losing money and filing a case against people with fake identities. This is also the dilemma of law enforcers — how can they file lawsuits against people using fake names and logos?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Either the telcos put in more stringent measures for the SIM card registration, we beef up security to identify scammers, or we speed up the National ID program.

After all, we are in the same "ber" boat.