CICC, Scam Watch Pilipinas launch Holiday Watch PH 2025 anew to warn Filipinos of the Top 12 Christmas Scams

• IN PHOTO (From left): Scam Watch Pilipinas Co-founder Jocel de Guzman, CICC Acting  Executive Director Aboy Paraiso, and Gogolook General Manager and Country Head Mel Migrino.

By TechWatch PH staff

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), together with Scam Watch Pilipinas and key private sector partners, has launched Holiday Watch PH 2025—an annual nationwide campaign reminding Filipinos to stay alert against the Top 12 Scams of Christmas as online fraud surges during the holiday rush.

CICC Executive Director Usec. Aboy Paraiso said the initiative underscores the government’s responsibility to proactively educate and protect the public from digital threats.

“The Holiday Season is when scammers become more aggressive and creative. This awareness campaign is part of our duty to equip every Filipino with the right knowledge so they won’t fall victim to fraudulent messages, fake deliveries, phishing calls, and other cybercrimes. Our goal is simple—to make Christmas safe for every Filipino family,” Paraiso stressed.

Now on its third year, Holiday Watch PH continues to highlight the 12 most prevalent scams observed during the yuletide season: Online Shopping Scam, Fake Delivery Scam, Call Scam, Task/Job Scam, Investment Scam, Love Scam, Loan Scam, Impersonation Scam, Travel Scam, Charity Scam, Middleman Scam, and Online Gambling Scam.

Scam Watch Pilipinas Co-Founder and Truth360 Inc. President Jocel de Guzman said the initiative’s success lies in its foundation.

“Holiday Watch PH has consistently proven effective because it is grounded in the Anti-Scam Quad Model—behavior change, volunteerism, cross-sector collaboration, and technology-enabled reporting,” he explained.

“Through our partnership with CICC and the private sector, we have helped drive down text scams and increased public reporting. Awareness saves lives, livelihoods, and Christmas,” he added.

The public is encouraged to adopt the #KontraScamAttitude by practicing four habits: magdamot (be cautious), magduda (be skeptical), mang-isnab (ignore suspicious messages), and magsumbong sa 1326 (report immediately).

Victims of online fraud may dial the National Anti-Scam Hotline 1326, while non-victims can submit screenshots and suspicious links through the eReport feature of the eGOVPH app.

Filipinos can also enhance their protection by downloading Whoscall on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to identify unknown callers and block potential scam numbers.

Gogolook Philippines Country Head and General Manager Mel Migrino echoed the call for vigilance.

“Being aware of the Top 12 Scams of Christmas empowers Filipinos to avoid fake shopping links, call scams, job scams, impersonation attempts, and other deceptive tactics. We also encourage everyone to download the Whoscall app for real-time caller identification and scam detection,” Migrino said.

This year’s Holiday Watch PH rollout is presented in partnership with Gogolook, Meta, and Truth360 Inc., strengthening a united, multi-sector effort to keep Filipino families safe and scam-free throughout the Christmas season.