Most of the time, identity thieves pose as their victims by obtaining sensitive information such as names, social security numbers, identity cards, and credit card information. In February 2018, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced that a draft “Administrative Order (AO) on Social Media Use of the Government” was already in its last round of public consultations, which included discussions on “dealing with trolls and fake pages.”. 10175, Sept. 12, 2012, Australian Cyber Security Centre, Like farming, March 6, 2020, Better Business Bureau, BBB Tip: Like-Farming is a Facebook scam still going strong, June 10, 2020, Macmillan Dictionary, Like-farming, May 7, 2018, GMA News Online, Public school teacher in debt because of identity theft, Feb. 26, 2016, The Official Gazette Act No. Vera is Latin for “true.”. He also warned about stolen identities being used to apply for bank loans. Unfortunately, as far as Ragsag knows, there are no specific guidelines set for government offices when creating their official social media accounts. Last May, VERA Files Fact Check (VFFC) flagged two fake Facebook (FB) pages: one pretending to be a Social Amelioration Program (SAP) updates page, the other posing as the official “interagency” page of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.). It’s fake — one hundred percent).”, Philippine Statistics Office, Employment Situation in April 2020, June 5, 2020, Philippine Statistics Office, Employment Situation in October 2020, Dec. 3, 2020, The Official Gazette, Republic Act No. A popular contemporary eCommerce, most commonly done in the Philippines, is a B2C and C2C model. New account fraud occurs when a thief opens a credit card or other financial account using a victims name and other stolen personal information. Many netizens who took the bait said they were in a “no work, no pay” employment status due to the pandemic. In the old days, identity theft was merely confined to the thieves creating credit cards under your name and maxing them out, leaving you with a heaping pile of debts you don’t even know about. But enough about near-future technophobic episodes; there are actual real threats we have to worry about—like fake accounts and stolen identities. Peter Locsin, 35, of Talisay City, Philippines, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of bank fraud conspiracy and two counts of aggravated identity theft. There’s a huge chance they’re links to phishing websites and will ask you to hand over your sensitive information. Unsurprisingly, the birth certificate is the document of choice for foreign fraudsters because it shows both identity and nationality. Fortunately, you can lower the risks of criminals misusing your personal details. collecting comprehensive statistics on identity theft, but that, “Nonetheless a number of data sources can be used as proxies for gauging the prevalence of identity theft” (GAO, February 2002, p. 2). We saw in the initial statistics that credit card fraud is the form of identity theft that … Are they potential terrorists)?” Ragsag said in a phone interview with VERA Files. Another possibility of a crime Villaran mentioned is when the culprit hacks someone’s social media account using the data he or she stole, and then victimizes the account owner's friends and followers. RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 punishes the creation of accounts using someone else’s identity. According to the 2017 Unisys Security Index, 93 percent of Filipinos are concerned about identity theft. “So parang talon-talon na (So, it’s like it’s jumping [from one crime to another]),” Villaran said. People were quick to look up their names and found dubious namesakes on the social media platform. Of the total identity theft reports, the top type in 2018 was credit card fraud (with 157,688). Founded in March 2008, VERA Files is published by veteran Filipino journalists taking a deeper look into current Philippine issues. Villaran said identity theft could turn into online libel when a culprit hides his or her real identity by using a stolen one, and uses it to defame other people. According to a press release from the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG), a total of 1,211 cybercrime complaints were filed with them from 2013-2015. Let’s think of the worst-case scenarios. How many Americans are victims of identity theft each year? The threat of identity theft is very real, and the consequences are more even more terrifying than what you think. DSWD starts distribution of cash aid under Social Amelioration Program, BBB Tip: Like-Farming is a Facebook scam still going strong, Public school teacher in debt because of identity theft, NPC PHE BULLETIN No. Another described herself as a solo parent with a child suffering from a heart condition, while a third one said he is an overseas Filipino worker “stranded” for five months in an accommodation in Pasay City and has not received any form of assistance. Scammers saw an opportunity to take advantage of this government response to the pandemic. Swindlers, on the other hand, could be charged with two months and a day to 20 years of prison, depending on the amount of the defrauded money. Don’t be surprised if, in the future, an artificial intelligence can create a simulacrum of us a la Black Mirror. When it comes to penalties, RA 10175 penalizes any person found guilty of computer-related identity theft with imprisonment of prision mayor (6 years and 1 day … Consider these identity theft statistics: In 2019, 14.4 million consumers became victims of identity fraud — that’s about 1 in 15 people Overall, 33 percent of U.S. adults have experienced identity theft … Shred bank statements and various papers that have information about you before you dispose of them. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Saturday said it will start the second step of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) registration nationwide on Jan. 4, 2021. Others use supposed private videos as means to harass their victims. According to him, “no one would just give away huge sums of money that easily.”, “Kung humihingi sila ng details sa'yo through online, tapos hindi mo kilala ang nasa other end, wag niyo na ituloy ang transaction ninyo. Sources: Department of Justice, Rappler, Credit.com, Unisys, Malware Bytes, NCPC, (This article was originally posted in November 2017 and updated on June 9, 2020. Credit Card Fraud Statistics. The netizens who fell for the fake DSWD-DOLE page’s post could easily find themselves in the same situation as the teacher, since fabricating a PRC ID only requires a person’s full name, photo, and a registration number. 78% of identity theft … eCompareMo eCompareMo is the No. Identity theft statistics by state. Amid the supposed proliferation of fake Facebook accounts in the Philippines, how do you protect yourself from identity theft? Use alphanumeric characters as well as symbols for creating strong passwords. In this culture of oversharing, we put a scary amount of data out there and, sometimes we forget that some things are better hidden from public eyes and the cloud. Identity theft is a very serious matter, around the globe, people have had their identities compromised and have suffered crippling consequences. According to the 2019 report, Americans lost nearly $2 billion to credit card fraud and identity theft … According to the 2017 Unisys Security Index, 93 percent of Filipinos are concerned about identity theft. Since January, VFFC has flagged 12 fake online giveaways. 11469, March 24, 2020, Philippine Information Agency, DSWD starts distribution of cash aid under Social Amelioration Program, April 5, 2020, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Home page, accessed on Dec. 4, 2020, The Official Gazette, Republic Act No. Identity thieves can get your important documents without your consent. ©2020 C88 Financial Technologies Pte. If they have enough information about you, they can procure your official documents such as birth certificates, government IDs, and so much more. Identity theft is a cybercrime and not one that should be taken it lightly. This will reduce identity theft… Other creators of fake pages are now asking for more than just “likes.” They are now collecting people’s personal data, similar to what the fake DSWD-DOLE page did. In the Philippines, cases of these thefts are all the rage. For example, not all official FB pages and Twitter accounts of these public institutions have “blue” checks. According to the Javelin study, account takeovers tripled in 2017 from 2016, and losses totaled $5.1 billion. Identity Theft … Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @ecomparemo. The … Ltd. All rights reserved. Pagdating sa pag-trace sa kanila, I would believe mas equipped itong mga law enforcement agencies natin para habulin po ito (We would need the whole of government approach for this. Of course, it will take some time and effort to prove that you haven’t done the things accused to you. MANILA— A woman whose photos were featured on a “sugar daddy” dating site has come forward to report that her images were used without her consent, and that she was never a member of the platform that has seen a rise in sign-ups in the Philippines. RESIDENTS EXPERIENCED IDENTITY THEFT IN 2014 : Press Release Part of the Identity Theft Series: Victims of Identity Theft, 2014 Presents findings on the prevalence and nature of identity theft from the 2014 Identity Theft … This could have been a helpful indicator for netizens in determining the verified—thus, official—government accounts. The Revised Penal Code sets a penalty of six months and a day to four years and two months of imprisonment or a fine of P200 to P6,000, or both, for libel, aside from a possible civil lawsuit. Rank & State … In 2019, the number of SMS fraud or text scam incidents in the Philippines was highest for those in region 3, amounting to approximately 3.5 million victims. 31.7% of breach victims in 2016 later experienced identity fraud, compared to just 2.8% of individuals not notified of a data breach in 2016, according to Javelin.. IdentityTheft.gov is the federal government’s one-stop resource for identity theft victims. Identity theft statistics lays bare the … However, the number of engagements received by the impostor pages strongly suggests the inability of many Filipino social media users to differentiate legitimate pages and accounts from bogus ones. The site provides streamlined checklists and sample letters to guide you through the recovery process. SEN. Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos wants the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to explain how a foreign firm hounded … Data from the Philippine National Police - Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) obtained by VERA Files revealed that computer-related identity theft ranks third in terms of the number of cybercrime cases handled by the ACG from January to October this year. $2 Billion Is Lost Via Credit Card Fraud Each Year: The Federal Trade Commission’s annual Consumer Sentinel Network report gives citizens a snapshot of problems consumers experience in the marketplace. Report lost or stolen IDs and banking cards like ATM and credit cards. This modus, however, has leveled-up. Sila ba ay potential terrorist (They would pretend to be another person, would get a fake passport using someone else’s identity, would be able to get out of the country, and then we will never know who they are. Finally, victims of identity theft can suffer from lawsuits and defamation due to the previous action and more. Do not click on suspicious ads as well as emails from unverified sources. Identity theft also plays a big role on cyber harassment. “'Yung whole of government na approach na po ang ating kakailanganin. In what ways can identity theft damage you and how can you protect your your personal information online? Unemployment rate hit a peak in April, recording 17.7 percent or 7.3 million jobless Filipinos. The threat is real, and almost all Filipinos are afraid of having their information used without their authorization. 2. ‘Identity theft’: Young woman’s photos stolen, used on dating app. It goes way beyond fake Facebook accounts bugging your friends and family. They can hijack your identity by getting access to your information first. Is identity theft common? It will become online estafa or swindling if the culprit uses the stolen identity to commit fraud on people, with the goal of acquiring money from them. By October, it went down to 8.7 percent—equivalent to 3.8 million unemployed individuals—which was still 1.8 million more than the same period last year. Identity theft has become one of the main scourges of the modern Internet era, posing challenges for consumers and law enforcement alike. Avoid posting details about your personal life pertaining work, family, and relationships. Copyright © 2020 Vera Files. According to the Department of Justice’s 2014 annual cybercrime report, nine percent of the cases their agency handled were about people whose identities were misused by criminals. Many times, these impostors require interested netizens to “like” their pages and affiliate accounts to generate following. Fraudulent credit card and banking activities can hurt your credit score and inflict some damages that can last for a long time. (Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Beef up your password game. In a nutshell, stolen identities pertains to the intentional use of one’s personal details, usually for monetary gain or criminal activities at the expense of the victim. Because of that, the birth certificate can open the door to other Philippine identity … COVID-19 tally in Philippines hits 409,574 with over 1,700 new infections 32 days ago Of the total confirmed cases, 27,369 or 6.7% are still undergoing treatment or quarantine. Some of these crimes go undetected for a very long time. A breach in your security online can result in the following: (Read: What Filipino Cardholders Can Learn From The Equifax Hack In The US). Keep your government-issued numbers like SSS and TIN away from everyone. Ragsag said this lack of policy “could be a room for improvement” in the future. The DSWD and DOLE do not share a singular page on FB. Most of them were by FB pages and accounts posing as prominent personalities and businesses, such as Senator Manny Pacquiao, game show host Willie Revillame, and even the hardware and software company Hewlett Packard (HP). Peke 'yan -- hundred percent (If they ask for your details and tell you to send them online, and you do not know the identity of the person asking, don’t push through with the transaction. Following the introduction of microchip equipped credit cards in 2015 in the United States, which make the cards difficult to counterfeit, criminals focused on new account fraud. In fact, it’s the biggest fear of Filipinos in terms of their security along with … He cited a case from 2016, where a public school teacher found himself deep in debt after his identity was wrongly used to secure loans from three banks. In line with the first one, identity theft can go further by using the said documents and identifying details to open accounts under your name. Refrain from using public wireless networks. (Federal Trade Commission) According to identity theft statistics from 2018, identity theft cases made up 14.85% of all cases reported with the FTC, hence taking third place right behind imposter scams (17.88%) and debt collection (15.88%). Based on input from over 6,500 consumers and 650 businesses worldwide, we developed an understanding of the complicated relationship people and businesses have with identity. The bogus raffle includes an instruction that asks for the personal details of netizens. Disclaimer: All offers and product applications on eCompareMo.com represent current product data and does not bind the applicants before the contract has been signed and applied. What Filipino Cardholders Can Learn From The Equifax Hack In The US. Facebook as the most popular social networking in the Philippines, is also the … 4: Protecting personal data in the time of COVID-19, March 23, 2020, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Policy on Government’s Social Media Use undergoes Final Consultation, Feb. 7, 2018, Philippine News Agency, DICT urges gov’t agencies to use social media to promote programs, Feb. 5, 2018, (Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. 20+ banks and lenders about this initiative and our methodology. ) work, family, and social media abuzz. There are actual real threats we have to worry about—like fake accounts and stolen identities are of. Might just gain access to your information first rate hit a peak in April, recording percent... 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