The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) and online wallet GCash have intensified their collaboration to safeguard local communities and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from cyber fraud.
PNP-ACG acting director Police Brigadier General Ronnie Francis Cariaga highlighted the urgency for both government and private sector to strengthen its cybercrime strategies, especially at the grassroots level, during a strategic meeting held at the W Global Center in Taguig City.
“Our partnership with digital financial institutions like GCash has become a necessity now that almost all transactions are done digitally, to the point that even sari-sari stores can be paid via
e-wallets. It is therefore our responsibility as the PNP and LGUs to stay updated and prepared for any cyber threats,” Cariaga stressed.
GCash chief information and security officer Miguel Geronilla, meanwhile, highlighted their platform’s online application best practices in cybersecurity and trust technology and their integral role to its services.
“A huge part of our pursuit in GCash is not only to strengthen security measures in the app but also to make sure that cybercriminals are punished while constantly reminding the public how to safeguard their e-wallet accounts,” Geronilla said.
GCash chief legal officer Atty. Maricor Alvarez-Adriano, meanwhile, reiterated the company’s commitment to working with the government to combat cybercrime.
“We continue to be an active partner of the government in going after cybercriminals and scammers to ensure Filipinos have easy access to safe, secure, and convenient digital financial products and services,” Adriano affirmed..
The ongoing collaboration between GCash and authorities has led to the successful deactivation of 5.6 million accounts linked to suspicious activities and the rejection of 2.2 million account takeover attempts.
Additionally, GCash and its partners have taken down 1,900 phishing websites and 51,800 malicious social media posts.
