Cybercrime victims on the rise, says SWS

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Saturday revealed a sharp increase in cybercrime victimization among Filipino families in September 2024.

The survey found that 7.2 percent of Filipino families reported being victimized by cybercrimes such as online scams, hacking, and cyberbullying in the past six months, a significant jump from 3.7 percent in June 2024.

It added that the surge was particularly pronounced in Metro Manila, where cybercrime victimization rose from 3 percent to 12.3 percent in the survey conducted from 14 to 23 September 2024 which polled 1,200 adults nationwide.

Meanwhile, the survey also showed a rise in traditional crime victimization, with 6.1 percent of families reporting incidents of pickpocketing, robbery, break-ins, carnapping and physical violence.

Public perception of crime and safety also varied across regions, while fear of burglary remained relatively stable at 56 percent, fear of walking the streets at night decreased slightly to 48 percent.

The survey also found a decrease in the perceived visibility of drug addicts in neighborhoods, with 41 percent of respondents noticing “many drug addicts.”

However, fear of unsafe streets increased in the Visayas.

The SWS said that the number of crimes reported to the police is significantly lower than the actual number of victimization incidents.