Keeping holiday finances secure amid rising AI-driven scams

A quick guide to spotting deepfakes, minimizing risk, and strengthening safeguards this Christmas season

The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) recorded 3,941 online scam cases from January 1 to November 13, 2025—already more than half of the 7,081 incidents logged in 2024, spokesperson Lt. Wallen Mae Arancillo said. 

While the decline points to some enforcement gains, the threat is far from over. Rapidly evolving AI technologies are enabling fraudsters to bypass traditional safeguards, putting individual bank accounts, as well as corporate payroll systems, financial operations, and employee disbursements, at heightened risk. 

For businesses, this shift underscores the urgent need to strengthen cybersecurity protocols and protect both revenues and staff compensation.

Given how real and sophisticated the new kinds of AI threats are, workers are urged to take steps to protect their year-end bonus:

1. Use multi-channel verification

Never rely on just one communication method. If a video call appears to be from a superior demanding a fund transfer, the request must be verified through a known number or internal chat system

2. Agree on a secret code word

Family members could create a secret code used exclusively among themselves. For close colleagues or trusted coworkers, a separate code should be established. Those codes should be required when a financial request is made.

3. Train your radar for deepfake signs

Learn how to identify unnatural video behavior, including jerky eye movements, unusual lighting, and awkward pauses. In voice calls, signs such as robotic pacing, strange inflections, or irregular phrasing should raise concern.

4. Minimize voice exposure

The PNP ACG warned about giving scammers a chance to clone voices. Extra caution is advised when answering calls from unknown numberThis verification is also required when posting voice or video clips on social media.

Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the PNP-ACG or the NBI Cybercrime Division. Staying alert now could spare months of financial trouble.

 

 

Online scam cases may have declined this year, but cybercriminals continue to upgrade their tactics through AI-powered tools. 

 

 

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