DICT warns travelers vs. posting ‘at the moment’ vacation photos

In a press conference at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said publicly posting pictures or videos that show they are not home can result in their homes falling prey to theft. (File Photo By Joey Razon for Philippine News Agency/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

MANILA – The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Monday warned the public against posting sensitive information on social media that can be used by criminals.

In a press conference at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said publicly posting pictures or videos that show they are not home can result in their homes falling prey to theft.

“Kung magpo-post po kayo, maganda po kapag nakauwi na kayo, nakabalik na kayo sa tahanan niyo (If you’re going to post, it’s better you do it once you’re home),” he said.

Uy warned the public, especially young people, that live streams are particularly dangerous as they can reveal where they are at that given moment.

In addition, the DICT is working together with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and ScamWatch to educate the public against common scams during the Holy Week.

These include fake accommodations —enticing villas, apartments, or seemingly legitimate hotel rooms that are advertised at “unbelievably low rates” but are actually non-existent.

Travelers and tourists are encouraged to book accommodations with reputable agencies or websites, verify reviews, and speak directly with the owner or hotel.

There are also malicious public Wi-Fis that steal personal information, too-good-to-be-true deals, “free vacation” scams, fake travel agents, overpriced tours, charity cons, lost luggage sold on Facebook, fake SIM cards, and cheap airline tickets sold on social media.

When out and about, travelers are warned against counterfeit cash, hidden closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in accommodations, taxis that do not have a meter and would instead charge excessive fees, and fixers of any kind.

“Maging alerto po dahil maraming klaseng scams —online pati na yung mga physical scams (Be alert because there are so many different kinds of scams— those online and physical scams),” Uy said.

He encouraged the public to call their scam hotline 1326 to report encounters with these scams or suspicious individuals.