Cybercrimes up by 21% in 1st quarter, says PNP

PROTECT YOURSELF Crime statistics show that government efforts to curb cybercrimes are not enough. —Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Cybercrimes rose by 21.8 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2023, the Philippine National Police reported on Sunday.

The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) reported 4,469 cybercrimes from January to March 2024, 21.84 percent more than the 3,668 incidents reported in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The number comes to an average of 49 cybercrimes every day in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 40 in 2023.

READ: Card fraud most rampant cybercrime in PH

ACG chief Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia said online selling scams topped the list of cybercrimes at 990, followed by 319 cases of investment scams and 309 cases of debit/credit card fraud, among others.

Hernia said the cybercrime wave may be due to increased online activity, sophisticated cybercriminals’ tactics, and a lack of public awareness.

READ: P155 M lost to over 8,000 online scams from January – August 2023

In February, ACG reported that cybercrimes surged by 68.98 percent last year, from 11,523 cases in 2022 to 19,472 incidents in 2023.

Surge in scam cases

The unit reported that cases of online scams surged by 94.64 percent from 7,208 incidents in 2022 to 14,030 cases in 2023.

Sexual extortion also increased, from 110 cases in 2022 to 121 incidents last year.

The number of cybercrimes has increased continuously despite the 2022 enactment of Republic Act No. 11934, or the SIM Card Registration Act, which the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) claimed would curb cybercrimes.

RA 11934 was the first bill that President Marcos signed into law in October 2022.

Senate President Francis Escudero and Sen. Grace Poe criticized the NTC for its implementation of RA 11934.

But NTC simply said the law was “not a silver bullet against messaging scams,” but the agency would “tighten” enforcement of regulations. So far, the “tightening” has resulted in more messaging scams.

Cybercrime wave

The substantial increase has become so bad that an official of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) lamented last September that online scams have gotten worse than the country’s problem with illegal drugs.

“The problem with online scams is now worse than drugs. Even the record from PNP reflects that scam cases have exceeded ordinary crime cases,” said Gilbert Cruz, undersecretary of the PAOCC.

Other cybercrimes are identity theft, online threats, data interference, computer-related fraud, love scam, cyberlibel and violence against women and children.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. already ordered the PNP to address cybercrimes, and the police put up cybersecurity desks in all police stations and increased the training of investigators.

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil also announced an intensified drive against cybercrimes and the allocation of “more resources and enhancing capabilities to combat the growing threat of cyber-related offenses.”

But the best measures against cybercrimes remain public awareness, and Marbil encouraged the public to report crimes to the police.