With Valentine’s Day approaching, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the public to be vigilant against a sophisticated breed of “love scams” that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to defraud and, in severe cases, sexually exploit victims. The warning follows a report from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), which flagged a rising trend of romance-related fraud targeting individuals seeking relationships online. According to CICC data, the agency received 123 formal complaints in 2025.
Gatchalian issued the warning following the CICC report, which noted a pattern where cases spike during romantic seasons, specifically from January to February, as well as in June and October. He 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.
He expressed alarm that the schemes have evolved beyond financial theft. “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.
The CICC has identified six scammer profiles: the “sad boy/sad girl” who shares dramatic problems before requesting money; the “seducer” who obtains compromising photos; the “investor” who proposes joint cryptocurrency schemes; the “serviceman” who poses as military personnel overseas; the “escort” who demands upfront payment; and the “slow burner” who cultivates long-distance relationships before borrowing money.
This report originates from Manila, where Gatchalian issued the alert to safeguard the public from these evolutions in cybercrime linked to the POGO ban.
