THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) will establish posts that will cater to cases of cybercrime and online fraud in the country’s major airports.
In a statement on Wednesday, Immigration Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco said the cybercrime hubs will assist both locals and foreigners who have been victims of online fraud.
The two agencies inked the agreement on Nov. 15 at the BI office in Manila.
The CICC under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) serves as the lead agency in addressing cybercrimes.
The agency earlier said the pandemic aggravated the issue of online child exploitation, specifically with minors from low-income families.
In August, the Department of Justice (DoJ), Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the DICT formed a task force to combat the online exploitation of children.
The DoJ and Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) also launched an anti-cybercrime partnership in February to train workers on cyber-security amid increasing cases of online fraud.
The Philippines placed third worldwide in ransomware payments last year, with local organizations spending an average of P1.6 million, according to cybersecurity firm Sophos.
BAP has said unauthorized withdrawals and transfers reached more than P1 billion last year due to an uptick of cybercrime incidents amid a coronavirus pandemic.
“This invaluable partnership between government agencies is a major step towards eliminating cybercrime in the country,” Mr. Tansingco said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez