MANILA, Philippines — With Valentine’s Day approaching, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the public to be vigilant against a sophisticated breed of “love scams” that now leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to defraud and, in severe cases, sexually exploit victims. Gatchalian issued the warning following a report from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), which flagged a rising trend of romance-related fraud targeting individuals seeking relationships online. Gatchalian linked the persistence of these scams to criminal groups adapting to the government’s crackdown on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). “Despite the national ban on POGOs, criminal syndicates continue to exploit loopholes through various schemes, including love scams,” Gatchalian said. “It is sad that some of our countrymen are not only being cheated out of their hard-earned money, others are even becoming victims of prostitution,” Gatchalian said.

Source: Philippine Star February 06, 2026 16:03 UTC