https://www.scmp.com/rss/522991/feed Jan Chavez-Arceo is a cybersecurity expert and Lieutenant Colonel in the Philippine Army Reserve Force. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Albert*, a 68-year-old retiree in the Philippines, was struggling to log into the country’s Social Security System app in August last year when a man rang to offer help. The caller said he worked for the government pension fund, the website was down for maintenance and a new app had just been rolled out. To prove he was genuine, he sent Albert his full name, Social Security number, and home address over the Viber messaging app, followed by a link to the “new” app. More than an hour after Albert... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3351222/fake-app-drains-filipino-retirees-life-savings-malware-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3351222/fake-app-drains-filipino-retirees-life-savings-malware-service?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 01:30:15 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Concerns are growing in the Philippines over Beijing’s intentions towards Batanes, the country’s northernmost province, after a spike in Chinese social media claims and unusual coastguard patrols near the archipelago, with analysts warning these narratives could influence public opinion and complicate Manila’s security calculations. On the Chinese platform Douyin, some users have circulated videos alleging Batanes “once belonged to China” based on historical records, while others claimed Manila... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323091/filipinos-worry-chinese-online-claims-batanes-risk-real-world-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323091/filipinos-worry-chinese-online-claims-batanes-risk-real-world-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:50:38 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Filipinos who once worked for offshore gaming operators are turning to online scams, law enforcement officials have warned, amid signs that the industry’s shutdown has given way to a more fragmented and harder-to-police criminal landscape. Many of those recently arrested for cybercrime offences had “branched out on their own”, using skills they had gained while working at Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), according to Brigadier General Bernard Yang, head of the Philippine National... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3316075/ex-pogo-workers-fuel-rise-philippine-online-scams-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3316075/ex-pogo-workers-fuel-rise-philippine-online-scams-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 09:29:35 +0000