Beware of ‘love scams’ as Valentine’s Day nears – DILG

MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Tuesday warned Filipinos of possible love scams as Valentine’s Day approaches.

In a Palace briefing, Abalos explained that love scams involve criminals studying the personal lives and interests of their targets and appealing to them emotionally. 

“The love scam,  I don’t know if you’ve heard about the love scam. The love scam, they look at your profile, at who is sad, lonely, what music you like, and what you like to eat, and they target your weaknesses. It is really a syndicate,” Abalos said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said that the data for love scams has been mixed with estafa and swindling cases, so the DILG does not have the exact data yet. 

Abalos warned the public not to just click any link sent to them. 

“It will be Valentine’s soon, so we should be careful. We should be careful around those we do not know well,” he said.