The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) is closely monitoring romance-related scams this February, warning the reported cases may reflect only a fraction of actual incidents as many victims remain hesitant to come forward.
Speaking to reporters after a #SaferInternetDay event at Google Philippines’ headquarters at Bonifacio Global City, CICC executive director Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso said authorities have so far recorded 18 complaints involving love scams since the beginning of the year.
However, he acknowledged that the figure does not capture the full landscape, as victims are often “afraid” or “shy” to report being deceived.
“I think these scammers understand the fact that the heart takes over the mind in terms of love scams,” Paraiso said.
Paraiso said January is typically monitored in anticipation of Valentine’s Day with additional watch periods during the June Wedding season and the colder months toward Christmas.
In 2025, the CICC recorded 123 formal complaints involving love scams nationwide.
Data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) showed that of 59 online scam reports documented in 2024 in one regional office, the majority were classified as love scams, underscoring the scheme’s persistence.
He warned that scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to profile victims and tailor schemes to individual vulnerabilities.
Due to this personalization, cases now cut across demographics, including digital natives and tech-savvy individuals.
Paraiso also emphasized that even those who were only targeted in attempted scams should report incidents through the government’s 1326 hotline to allow authorities to intervene and prevent further victimization.
The CICC also operates a Threat Monitoring Center that brings together multiple government agencies to proactively patrol online platforms for digital harms.
He added that partnerships with private sector companies are critical in addressing evolving scam tactics.
On the other hand, Paraiso expressed confidence that Filipinos are becoming more aware of online threats, particularly as the country continues to observe Safer Internet Day.
He said authorities have seen some scam categories decline, though he noted that fraudsters frequently pivot and adopt new technologies to sustain their operations.
Due to this, he emphasized that government efforts alone are not enough and that partnerships with the private sector and broader public participation are essential to staying ahead of evolving online threats.
“We’re really relying on these partnerships […] to leverage technology as well as to catch the scammers and hopefully build a safer internet for everyone,” he said.
On Grok compliance
In the same interview, Paraiso provided an update on the AI platform Grok following the lifting of its ban.
The platform was temporarily banned in the Philippines, from January 16 to January 21, after regulators raised concerns over its content generation capabilities.
He said the platform has since complied with the government’s request to regulate certain content creation features, particularly those involving nudity and content decoding.
“We want them to self-regulate, then we monitor their compliance to that self-regulation,” Paraiso said.
However, he said it remains difficult to determine whether there has been a measurable decrease in the spread of manipulated or AI-generated harmful content locally, as the platform is not widely used in the Philippines.
Industry trackers estimate that Grok has around 30 to 35 million active users globally, but there are no official figures for the Philippines, and regulators have said its local footprint is small compared with other AI tools.
Authorities will continue monitoring the platform’s compliance with its commitments, he added.
