PNP: CYBERCRIME INCIDENTS DOWN BY 36% IN 2024

MANILA, Philippines — Cybercrime incidents in the county dropped by 36.16 percent in the first half of 2024, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday

PNP's Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) said that reports about online scams, and investment and financial fraud dropped to 8,177 (36.16%) from January to June this year, from 12,808 in the same period in 2023.

Brig. Gen. Ronnie Francis Cariaga, acting director of the ACG, said that the group has observed a 29.9 percent reduction in cybercrime complaints, recording 6,151 from January to May 9, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023 with a total of 8,775 complaints.

The PNP said that the decrease in cybercrime incidents was attributed to the vigorous implementation and enforcement of operations against different kinds of digital threats.

Particularly, the ACG cited the top 3 most prevalent crimes: online selling scams which dropped from 3,468 to 1,613 cases; followed by investment, tasking, scams --which decreased from 1,001 to 650 cases and debit/credit card fraud from 736 to 528.

The PNP said that the significant decrease in cybercrime cases could be credited to the directive by PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil to the ACG to proactively combat online crimes.

"We are deploying more resources and enhancing our capabilities to tackle these crimes head-on. Our board is to protect our citizens not just in the physical world but also in the digital realm," Marbil said.

The PNP-ACG had partnered with stakeholders -- local and foreign counterparts, internet intermediaries, and various law enforcement agencies -- in its anti-cybercrime efforts.

Cariaga, for its part, expressed gratitude to Marbil's support in the fight against cybercrime.

He said, "The PNP ACG is profoundly grateful for the support from the PNP Chief and other stakeholders in the fight against cybercrime."

2024-07-03T04:58:59Z dg43tfdfdgfd