‘Sure ka na ba?’ campaign launched to prevent online scams

MANILA — Various government agencies and private institutions, including telecommunications companies and e-wallet companies, launched the “Sure ka na ba?” campaign at the Department of Justice on Thursday to combat online scams.

The campaign involves the acronym S-U-R-E, which stands for “spot, understand, report, and empower.”

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said that, like almost all Filipinos, he himself has experienced online scamming.

“Early morning, I got a call, ‘Sec, ikaw ba yung ano, kasi nagpadala ako,’ naku, sabi ko, scam iyan, vividly my name, nakalagay ang number ko,” Vida said.

Vida, however, said the approach is not to victim-blame but to make every Filipino a stakeholder and encourage them to report even before an online scam such as phishing can happen.

“Hindi sapat na mahuli at maparusahan natin ang mga scammer, mas mahalaga na maiwasan nating magkaroon pa sila ng mga bagong biktima,” Vida said.

In a video presented during the launch, officials explained that a phishing scam is a means of deception using fake accounts, emails, or websites to gain personal information and money.

It uses fear, curiosity, urgency, authority, or reward to get information from a victim.

“We must move upstream, from spotting cybercrime after it happens to preventing it from ever happening,” Vida said.

According to the DOJ Office of Cybercrime Assistant Director Chris Maño, online scams can be reported to the Office of Cybercrime through cybercrime@doj.gov.ph.