https://www.rappler.

com/newsbreak/iq/159365-cybercrime-philippines-cases-online-libel-2016

From 2013 to 2015, online scams consistently topped the list of most common cybercrimes
reported to the Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG).

According to PNP-ACG Assistant Chief PSupt Jay Guillermo, online threats and libel complaints
mostly make use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

On social media, Guillermo said those who reported receiving online threats also tend to know
the person harassing them, having been in a previous relationship or involved in some degree
of affinity.

Online threat complaints can take months, such as in the case of climate action advocate
Renee Karunungan. In May last year, she filed 34 complaints against social media users who
harassed her online because she wrote a post critical of then-presidential candidate Rodrigo
Duterte.

Karunungan received hate messages on her Facebook account, with strangers wishing death
on her and her loved ones, and some even threatening rape. (READ: 'Sana ma-rape ka':
Netizens bully anti-Duterte voter)

Meanwhile, 40 police operations last year resulted in the arrest of 150 individuals, most of whom were
involved in extortion, cybersex operations, and violation of the anti-photo and video voyeurism act.
These operations resulted in the filing of 61 cases and the rescue of 6 minors.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/04/pnp-says-online-scams-top-cybercrime-complaint-list/

According to ACG Acting Director Police Senior Superintendent Marni C. Marcos Jr., the group has
investigated a total of 555 online scam cases from 2016 up to present, which falls under the Article 315 of the
Revised Penal Code or Swindling (Estafa). Of this number, 44 were filed this year,

According to ACG Acting Director Police Senior Superintendent Marni C. Marcos Jr., the group has
investigated a total of 555 online scam cases from 2016 up to present, which falls under the Article 315 of the
Revised Penal Code or Swindling (Estafa). Of this number, 44 were filed this year,

To date, the PNP-ACG has recorded to date a total of 1,211 cybercrime complaints covering the period
of 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/08/27/1492886/online-scams-top-pnp-list-

cybercrimes#VXLKzgYeIMbyl4r8.99

According to Factbrowser, a digital discovery engine, as of 2014, there are 44 million Internet users in
the Philippines and the average time spent on the Internet by users is 18.6 hours per week or 2.6 hours
per day.
With the increasing number of Internet users there is also an increase in the opportunity for cyber
criminals to do their illegal online activities, the PNP-ACG said.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/08/27/1492886/online-scams-top-pnp-list-

cybercrimes#VXLKzgYeIMbyl4r8.99
With the advent of new internet technologies like 4G LTE/3G portable data from phones which can be
used to access social media outlets comes an increase in a number of Internet users that subsequently
increase the chances for cyber criminals to do their illegal online activities as the PNP-ACG said.

According to the Philippine Cybercrime Report for 2016-2017 conducted and made by the Department
of Justice Office of Cybercrime which accounts the current trends and challenges in the field of
cybercrime in the country, statistics show that from January to December 2016, there have been a total
of 3,951 complaints for cybercrime and cyber-related offenses. These cyber offenses can be divided into
1
Core Cybercrimes which are offenses against confidentiality and integrity, 2 Computer-related offenses
such as email spoofing, phishing, forgery and fraud and 3Content-related offenses such as cybersex, child
pornography and libel.

To subdivide the cybercrime offenses into more detailed and specific cases, here is a graph gathered
from the data reported from news in 2013 to 2017. The bar graph shows the 5 main cybercrime
complaints namely, Computer Related Identity Theft, Anti-photo and video voyeurism, online scams,
online threat and online libel.

As we can see from brief statistical observation, the cybercrime complaint with the highest
percentage of increase and fastest growing cybercrime is Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism with an
increase of approximately 127% from 89 in 2013-2015 to 202 in 2016-2017. It is followed by Online
Libel with a 117.5% increase and Online Threat with a 75% increase and Online Scams with 34%
increase but still with the second highest number of complaints with 444 complaints next to Online
Libel with 522.

1. Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism

According to Data Privacy Philippines, The Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 states that it
is prohibited to copy, reproduce, sell, distribute or broadcast media such as photos or videos of the
unconsented engaged in any sexual acts or activities. With regards to cybercrime offenses, this is in
the category of content related offenses (cybersex, child pornography).

These days whenever I open the television to watch news or read the daily newspaper while having
my morning dose of coffee, I always come across news pertaining to cyber hackers asking for
ransoms in exchange of injected sensitive sexual videos, intimate lovers (men) publicly posting
revenge pornography against their past lovers(women), miseducated teens engaging in dating sites
and cybersex, children who get sexually exploited through child pornography, some even initiated
by their own mothers.

It doesn’t come as a surprise for me that it is one of the rising cybercrimes not only in the
Philippines, primarily because it is a criminal act that is very much easy to commit. It comes with the
generation nowadays, since most of the millennials take social media as an outlet for validation that
they come across the optimum point from posting selfies of themselves to bikini photos and
unfortunately to nude and sensitive photos just to get attention. Some do not intend to share but
just inevitably do due to peer pressure and abundance of trust to their lovers or friends while they
don’t need to get naked and show off just for self-validation or just so “mapansin sila” or “maging
sikat sila”. Everything comes with self-awareness and self-respect and the knowledge of the
possibility of cybercrime abuse. Teenagers should be able to think before they click, do not accept
friend requests from people they do not know, protecting their privacy and being selective of what
they post on social media as everything that is posted cannot be deleted or undone because it is
already in the cloud.

Child pornography that features photos, videos and live streaming of teens toddlers and even babies
is one of the more alarming cybercrime acts in the country. The Philippines as stated in The
Economist, as experts believe is the global hub for production of child pornography due to historical,
technological and social factors such as a high level of proficiency in English that allows children and
there “clients” to easily converse using the internet. The usage of drugs in the Philippines and
exponential increase in poverty encourages the willingness of Filipinos to resort into abusive means
to fund themselves and their habit. I think the solution to this is to completely tarnish and break
cybersex dens all over the country which comes with a huge amount of effort from the PNP and
maybe relocating these minors who have engaged in these activities to centers of livelihood for
youths and children.

2. Online Scam
As a continuation of the Philippine Cybercrime Report for 2016-2017 conducted and made by the
Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime, here is a graph that summarizes the cybercrimes
commited through and with the use of ICT from 2014 and 2016. Online Fraud/Scam (which is
comprised of Online Libel/ Threats) accounted most of the crimes with 277 cases in 2014, 523 cases
in 2015, 607 cases in 2016 and resulting to a 52.43% increase following mentioned Photo and Video
Voyeurism with 96.04%.

Last June 2018, the PNP Ant-Cybercrime Group arrested 490 people who are involved in an alleged
online scam that used a fictitious stock trading system to convince victims to invest to a portfolio of
stocks that kept rising. Online scam cases include also 1bitcoin investment scans that encourage
people to invest their money in crypto currencies through secret groups and pages in facebook as
well as companies that hold initial coin offerings, paid to click programs in which to get paid you
have to click on online ads and shell out money for membership and paluwagan online frauds,
networking scams as well as lottery scams

A total of 555 online scam cases from 2016 up to present and 44 of the 555 total cases covers the
period of year 2017 to present according to ACG Acting Director, Police Senior Superintendent Marni
Marcos.

I think the best way to remedy online scams is to check the authenticity and objective of parties
offering services via the web and internet. What do they get from these offers? Maybe sometimes
the service is too good to be true like winning a lottery, investing money for membership fee and
 registration for a business package as well paying the party an amount of money in exchange for
millions. Are these even possible?

To make things more secure, the main portal of cybercrime criminals are social media like Facebook
and Twitter so as much as possible it is highly recommended to not post confidential information
with regards to bank accounts, residential addresses as well as governments IDs, business dealings
and passwords that hackers may get and take advantage overall.

I guess my main point of prevention to cybercrime would be to keep everything private, as much as
possible live life with less of social interactions and accounts on the web. Yes you can browse the
web for things that may interest you or catapult your wealth with authentic investments and maybe
share what you do online, BUT may we always be mindful of the things we share and do. Everything
in the cloud is already in the cloud: it cannot be unseen or undone.
Sources:
https://www.thegfce.com/binaries/gfce/documents/reports/2017/10/11/philippine-cybercrime-report-2016-%E2%80%93-
2017/Philippine+Cybercrime+Report+2016+%E2%80%93+2017.pdf
https://www.rappler.com/nation/204369-online-scam-arrests-clark-pampanga-june-6-2018
https://www.moneymax.ph/blog/online-investment-scams
http://www.pnp.gov.ph/news-and-information/772-online-scam-tops-cybercrime-complain