In anticipation of the departure of passengers during the All Souls’ Day commemoration, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), the Department of Transportation, and Scam Watch Pilipinas are reactivating “Oplan Bantay Lakbay: Undas 2024.”
The information drive which runs from October 30 to November 5, aims to ensure a safe and efficient travel experience for all Filipinos and tourists traveling within the country during this period according to CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Ramos.
“While our fellow Filipinos are eager to visit the grave of our dearly departed, we sometimes also fall prey to online scammers through hotel and transportation bookings,” Ramos said.
DOTr Assistant Secretary Hector Villacorta said they expect Filipinos to take advantage of the long weekend since Undas will be a Friday.
“We have made the necessary preparations and mobilized our people to assist travelers at all our travel access points nationwide, whether by air, land, or sea. We are adding the information drive to warn travelers against the different types of online scams,” Villarcorta said.
As part of the campaign, members of the public are advised to be careful with the following: Open and Unsecured Wi-Fi, Fake e-wallet apps, Fake customer service, Fake Accommodations Scam, Too-Good-To-Be-True Deals, Fake Travel Agents, Charity Cons, Counterfeit Cash, Hidden CCTVs, and Fixer of tickets.
Ramos reminded the public that CICC’s Inter-Agency Response Center (IARC) Hotline1326 will continue to operate 24/7 during the Oplan Bantay Lakbay campaign.
“We will respond to travelers’ and commuters’ needs against online scammers and they can also call 1326 for any travel concerns aside from cyber fraud. Our response team from CICC are closely coordinating with their counterparts from DOTr,” Ramos revealed.
Scam Watch Pilipinas Co-Founder Jocel de Guzman urged Filipino travelers to report incidents online scams using 1326.
“Online scam victims must report to 1326 while travelers who received text scams or phishing emails can report using the eGove Super App via eReport where they can send screenshots of these messages. They can also download the Whoscall app to detect suspicious calls and text messages,” De Guzman said.
