PH adopts Phnom Penh Declaration vs. online scams

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The Philippines has committed to working with Cambodia and other international partners to fight online scams and related transnational crimes as it adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration to eradicate the scourge.

The Phnom Penh Declaration outlines 11 commitments to strengthen collective action against online scams, including stronger international cooperation, dismantling criminal networks and online scam compounds, disrupting and recovering criminal proceeds, strengthening laws, and protecting victims of trafficking and vulnerable people.

At the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS) in Phnom Penh, the delegation participated in high-level and panel discussions on national and international efforts to combat online scams during the two-day conference on September 23 and 24.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Ian Norman Dato attended the conference with other officials from the agency and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Dato underscored the need for stronger international cooperation in addressing the transnational nature of online scams, as he delivered a speech during the High-Level Session on "Online Scams as a Global Emergency."

He said Filipinos are both victims of online fraud and human trafficking into scam operations. The Justice official cited the Philippines' efforts to strengthen its laws and enforcement while protecting trafficking victims.

Dato also called for closer cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and financial intelligence units, particularly in preserving digital evidence and freezing and returning scam proceeds to victims. — VDV, GMA News