By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday (01 Mar 2024) issued a cautionary advisory to the public regarding scams associated with inexpensive vacation offers found online.
This warning comes following alerts from the PNP-Anti Cybercrime Group indicating a potential rise in cases of vacation or tour scams this summer.
“We would like to take this opportunity to warn and remind the public to be vigilant. Especially when the immediate requirement is to send money without knowing who the recipients are,” stated PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo.
“To travel agencies, there are ways to verify the authenticity of authorized travel agencies that genuinely have the authority to offer promotions for vacation and travel packages,” she added.
According to PNP data, there were 39 vacation scam cases recorded in 2021, 91 cases in 2022, and 313 in 2023.
Meanwhile, there have already been 35 vacation scam cases reported this year.
“Vacation scams are ICT-enabled crimes wherein criminals impersonate legitimate establishments, offering online accommodation services at prices lower than usual. However, upon arrival, victims discover that their reservations do not exist in the establishment’s system, revealing the scam,” stated the ACG.
(el Amigo/MNM)
