DoJ launches nationwide anti-scam campaign

The Department of Justice (DoJ), through its Office of Cybercrime, launched a nationwide public awareness campaign on Thursday aimed at equipping Filipinos with practical skills to detect and prevent online fraud.

Dubbed the “S.U.R.E.” framework, the initiative urges internet users to Spot a scam, Understand how it operates, Report suspicious incidents, and Empower others to protect themselves against digital threats.

Justice Secretary Frederrick Vida said that while state prosecutors continue to pursue cybercriminals, law enforcement alone cannot stem the tide of online fraud without public vigilance and private-sector cooperation.

“The fight against online scams is not just the government’s battle,” Vida said during the launch. “It is the fight of every bank, every telecommunications company, every school, every family, and every Filipino.”

The campaign comes in response to findings from the 2026 State of Scams in the Philippines report released by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, which found that 84 percent of Filipino adults encountered a scam attempt over the past year — up from 77 percent in 2025.

The study also showed that 15 percent of respondents suffered direct financial losses, frequently involving compromised personal data.

Vida cited real-world victims affected by these schemes, including a retired worker who lost his life savings to an investment scam, an overseas Filipino worker deceived by an impersonator posing as a relative, and a young professional duped by a fake job offer.

“Behind every one of these numbers is a Filipino who was deceived, a family that lost their savings, and a dream that may have been lost forever,” Vida said, noting that stolen funds can be transferred across international borders within seconds by anonymous perpetrators.

To address these challenges, Vida outlined a two-pronged strategy for the department: shifting toward proactive prevention and institutionalizing cross-sector collaboration.

“We must move upstream — from responding to cybercrime after it happens to preventing it before it occurs,” he said. “This means investing not only in investigation and prosecution but also in public awareness, cyber safety education, early intervention, and empowering our citizens to recognize and avoid online threats.”