Senator Win Gatchalian wants to investigate the proliferation of love scams and other online frauds perpetrated previously by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) which are now banned in the country.

“We need to re-evaluate and strengthen the policy banning POGOs and reassess the use of cryptocurrencies in the country,” Gatchalian said as he filed Senate Resolution No. 1317.
Relevant government agencies must continue to collaborate with international partners to develop and implement effective interventions designed to curtail the rampant online love scams and to track down and prosecute scammers across borders, he added.

The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) reported eight cases of online love scams in January this year and 72 cases last year. The Australian Federal Police even reported that around 5000 Australians were victimized by a love scam center operating in the Philippines, and around AUS$24 million were lost to the scammers who targeted mostly male Australian nationals aged 35 to 80 via online dating apps.

As POGOs originally perpetrated love scams, there is a need to re-evaluate and strengthen the existing POGO ban or implement stricter monitoring and enforcement measures, Gatchalian said.

He further noted that perpetrators of love scams often employed sophisticated tactics, including the creation of fake online identities and use of social engineering techniques, while exploiting the victims’ vulnerabilities.

“These fraudulent activities are frequently linked to organized cybercriminals including illegal online gaming operators and cryptocurrency transactions that provide perpetrators with an untraceable means of transferring and laundering illicit funds. Perpetrators usually target victims across borders using online platforms, creating a global network where scammers can exploit people from various countries due to difficulty in tracking them down across different jurisdictions,” noted Gatchalian.

“The use of cryptocurrencies in these scams also warrants a second look as it poses a significant challenge to regulators and law enforcement due to the cross-border nature of these transactions and its concealability,” he said.