The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable
countries in ASEAN due to its ease of access to technology and well-established
financial transaction facilities, according to a research by the United Nations
International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). This was revealed during the
recent Advanced Investigation Workshop 2024, which was organized by the
International Justice Mission (IJM) to tackle critical issues surrounding
Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).
During the workshop, GCash, the country’s
leading finance app, was invited to share its best practices against OSAEC, as
part of its continued efforts to battle cybercrimes and promote a safe and
secure digital ecosystem.
GCash chief risk officer Ingrid Beroña shared
before international law enforcer participants the critical role of
inter-agency partnerships in the fight against women and children's
exploitation.
"Last year, over 100 possible OSAEC
transactions were endorsed to GCash by one our partner remittance center and
Anti-Money Laundering Council. What we do is we monitor these possible cases
and if found suspicious, relevant accounts are blacklisted and reported back to
them for further investigation. Aside from reports from our partners, our
system also alerts us of suspicious transactions that could possibly be related
to sexual abuse of children online," said Beroña.
Participants of the 10-day workshop gathered
representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Philippine
National Police Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), Anti Money
Laundering Council (AMLC), the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Netherlands
Police, and the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA).
To ensure the safety of its users, GCash, the
largest cashless ecosystem in the country, continues to closely work with top
law enforcement authorities, including the Philippine National Police
Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI),
and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), to combat
cybercrime.
"Considering our thrust towards financial
inclusion, we believe in helping the marginalized so that we can truly be an
organization that serves all. More than just scams and fraud, GCash believes
that it also has a social responsibility to use its resources against other
crimes against persons, especially helpless women and children," concluded
Beroña.
For more information, visit
https://www.gcash.com
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