Filipinos Should Learn How to Dodge Scams

As the digitalization of the country moves forward, more people are gaining knowledge on how to use technology, such as smartphones. This, along with the decreasing price of basic smartphones, is contributing to the efforts of bringing the Philippines to the digital age.

However, this comes with a great deal of negative, adverse problems, such as scams.

According to a survey published by the Statista Research Department on April 2023, Filipinos are still prone to being victims of phishing scams, which the United States’ Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice defines as scams that “use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal and financial information.”

The Statista survey found that 51 percent of respondents have experienced phishing attempts.

“According to a survey on personal finance conducted during the fourth quarter of 2022 in the Philippines, 51 percent of respondents who had experienced digital fraud attempts were targeted with phishing attacks. In addition, 42 percent of respondents were targeted with money or gift card fraud schemes.”

In light of this, here are some ways to avoid phishing attempts:

Be wary of suspicious messages
Exercise caution when receiving unsolicited emails, text messages, or calls asking for personal information, login credentials, or financial details. These messages may also say something along the lines of you winning something, or inviting you to apply for a high-paying job or to play in easy-to-win casinos.

Delete suspicious messages without responding or clicking on any links, then block the number.

Always verify the source
Before providing any sensitive information, verify the authenticity of the sender. Reach out to the official organization through their verified website or contact information to confirm the legitimacy of the request.

Strengthen your passwords
Create strong, unique passwords for all your online accounts. Always use a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Strictly avoid using easily guessable information like birthdays or names.

Should you have trouble remembering them but also have trouble trusting that your smartphone could safely stow away your password, write them down on a small notepad and hide it in a place only you could see.

After password strengthening, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Having that extra layer of protection always helps. Enable 2FA whenever possible to add further security to your accounts. This authentication method requires a second verification step, such as a unique code sent to your phone, to access your account.

Never give unique codes, or one-time passwords to anyone
One-Time Passwords (OTPs) are the unique codes sent to your phone or email to verify your identity during online transactions or account access.

These OTPs add the extra layer of security to a 2FA, and it’s important never to share them with anyone, including persons who claim to be from legitimate organizations.

Scammers often use deceptive tactics to trick you into revealing your OTP, which will almost always lead to unauthorized access to your accounts.

With extra steps, Your hard-earned savings will surely be safer. Remember to always be cautious, verify every message and email that you receive, apply an extra layer of security in your accounts through 2FA, and never hand out OTPs to anybody, and you’ll have a much more secure digital life. (GFB)