Scam Watch Pilipinas is expanding its Anti-Scam Community Summit Program to 50 cities over the next three years, targeting the training and mobilization of 1.3 million anti-crime volunteers nationwide.
The citizen-led anti-scam movement is renewing its partnership with Citizens Crime Watch Internationale Unified Force and Anti-Crime and Corruption Inc. (CCWI) to train its members as anti-cybercrime advocates and Anti-Scam Volunteer Watchers.
The 1.3 million CCWI members will form the backbone of Scam Watch Pilipinas local chapters, which the organization aims to establish in 50 cities nationwide within three years.
The community summits will adopt the Scam Watch Pilipinas Anti-Scam Quad Model, which focuses on behavioral change, volunteer watcher training, cross-sector collaboration and technology-enabled scam reporting.
A key component is promoting the Kontra-Scam Attitude of Magdamot, Magduda, Mang-isnab at Magsumbong sa 1326, encouraging Filipinos to become more vigilant, question suspicious offers, ignore potential scams and report incidents.
Participants will also be introduced to available anti-scam tools and reporting channels, including the national anti-scam hotline 1326, eGovPH eReport, Whoscall Content Checker and Chainabuse, to help them identify suspicious activities and report potential scams.
Scam Watch Pilipinas co-founder and lead convenor Jocel de Guzman emphasized that personal training and hands-on learning are more effective in driving behavioral change than awareness campaigns alone.
“Awareness campaigns can reach millions, but personal training creates a different experience. When people actually participate, learn how scams work and practice how to respond, they are more likely to remember and apply what they learned. That’s how we turn awareness into action,” De Guzman said.
Meanwhile, CCWI Founder Mitch R. Botor said the partnership will provide its nationwide membership with opportunities to participate in the fight against cybercrime.
“Our members have always been advocates against crime and corruption. We also want them to become active partners in fighting cybercrime, particularly in anti-scam education and promoting online safety for children. Through this partnership, we can bring these efforts directly to the communities we serve,” Botor said.
The initiative also supports the ASEAN Foundation’s Scam Ready ASEAN program, which promotes scam prevention education and digital literacy across Southeast Asia.
Through the partnership, Scam Watch Pilipinas aims to build a nationwide grassroots network of trained volunteers capable of helping communities prevent, identify and report scams and other cybercrime threats.
Reference: Jocel De Guzam
