Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting trust and emotions to deceive victims, using sophisticated tactics that prey on familiarity and personal relationships, according to Scam Watch co-founder Art Samaniego Jr.
During an interview on DZRH's Dos Por Dos, Samaniego explained that scammers are combining identity theft with emotional manipulation in a scheme known as "trust hijacking," making it easier to convince victims to hand over money or sensitive information.
"‘Yung account cloning, matagal na yung ginagawa talaga, yung nag-i-personate yung tao. Pero ito, kakaiba yung ginawa ng—'yung modus. Ang ginagawa ng scammer, kinombine 'yan yung trust hijacking o yung tiwala ng tao. Tapos meron pang emotional manipulation. 'Yung trust hijacking, kinukuha niya 'yung tiwala ng tao," Samaniego said.
He explained that scammers first gain a victim's trust by posing as someone familiar, such as a friend, colleague, or business contact. They then use that trust to create situations that appear legitimate.
For example, a scammer may tell a victim that they need someone to vouch for a business transaction or financial deal. Once trust has been established, the scammer begins to target the victim's emotions.
"Pagkatapos ito, titirahan yung emotion niya, kailangan ko kasing i-vouch ito kasi malaki-laking halaga ito. So ito na yung nangyayari, pumapasok na yung pang-i-scam" Samaniego said.
He noted that anyone can fall victim to scams regardless of their education or profession.
"Ang dami mga taong naiscam, greatest equalizer yung scam, engineer, may doktor pa, may mga abogado, may mga journalist na naiscam," he said.
According to Samaniego, scammers often bypass a person's logic by triggering emotional responses such as fear, urgency, guilt, or obligation.
“Ang ginagawa ng mga scammer kasi, emotion yung tinitira sa'yo. So nababypass na yung intellect mo, yung talino mo nababypass niya pag tinira niya yung emotion. Kailangan mo ayusin yung swimming pool mo, kailangan mo ayusin o kailangan mo magpaayos sa swimming pool. So yung logic mo nababypass na nung need mo ngayon," he explained.
Samaniego also warned the public about what he calls "Facebook supportive scams," where scammers create fake accounts and convincing social media pages that appear legitimate.
He described a common scheme in which a scammer clones a person's Facebook account and creates group chats involving the victim, the account owner, and potential targets. The scammer then fabricates stories about debts, financial emergencies, or requests for assistance to pressure people into sending money.
"Yung scammer, magnanakaw niya ng identity ng tao... Tapos emotional manipulation kasunod yan, kung saan mag-create siya ng urgency. Obligation, minsan guilt, titirahin niyo yung guilt mo," he said.
Samaniego stressed that a familiar name or profile photo on Facebook does not guarantee that the person behind the account is genuine.
To avoid becoming a victim, Samaniego advised the public to verify a person's identity through a different communication channel before sending money.
"Bago po tayo magpadala ng pera, dapat i-verify natin through another channel. Halimbawa, sa Facebook siya nag-message. Tawagan mo sa telepono. O puntahan mo o itanong mo. So ganoon lang po para maiwasan natin ang mascam," he said.
He also urged victims whose Facebook accounts have been cloned to immediately report the incident to Meta and inform their friends and contacts about the fake account.
By alerting others, victims can help prevent scammers from using cloned profiles to deceive more people, he added.
