Protect families, senior citizens from scams: Join Rappler’s forum, workshops

Aug 25, 2025 5:08 PM PHT

Rappler.com

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Protect families, senior citizens from scams: Join Rappler’s forum, workshops

(1st UPDATE) To commemorate Grandparents’ Day, Rappler is holding a public forum and workshops for senior citizens and their families on September 16 at Far Eastern University Manila. Here’s how you can join for free.

MANILA, Philippines – Do you want to know how you and your family can better protect yourselves against scams?

In honor of Grandparents’ Day, Rappler will be bringing anti-scam, fact-checking, and disinformation experts together in a whole-day event to equip the elderly and the youth on how to stay protected from manipulation.

The event, called “Lolo at Lola Laban Sa Scam,” will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, from 8 am to 5 pm, at the University Conference Center of the Far Eastern University (FEU) Manila campus.

Participants of all ages are welcome. Grandparents can bring their grandchildren, and students are also welcome to bring their family, relatives, and grandparents to join the activities.

This event, taking place two days after Grandparents’ Day on September 14, is in partnership with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), FEU Manila, and the#FactsFirstPH coalition. The event is also sponsored by Mang Inasal.

The event is free and open to the public, but participants must register ahead of the event. Slots are limited. Registration will close on Friday, September 12. We especially encourage senior citizens to attend, along with their children or grandchildren. Click the button below to register:

All attendees will also be asked to download theRappler app ahead of the event.The free app is available onIOS andAndroid. It’s a news and community-building app that uses generative AI for journalism and civic engagement.

For any questions or concerns, emailmove.ph@rappler.com.

What to expect

The whole-day event will feature a public forum and series of hands-on workshops.

In the morning public forum, participants will hear from Rappler journalists and government officials about the scope of the problem and the role social media plays in spreading scams. This will be followed by a panel discussion focused on ways to improve scam awareness and digital safety within communities.

In the afternoon, participants can join simultaneous workshops on online safety and fact-checking:

CICC workshop: How to document scams, report to authorities, and protect your family
Simultaneous workshop 1: How to audit devices and social media accounts to ensure online safety
Simultaneous workshop 2: Fact-checking 101: How to verify claims on social media

The danger of scams

This is part of Rappler’s campaign called“#ScamAlert,”which aims to empower Filipinos with the information they need to protect themselves against digital fraud and attacks, as well as encourage them to spread digital safety initiatives in their communities.

As online scams grow more sophisticated, arising number of people are being targeted and deceived. In 2024, the CICCreceived over 10,000 complaints, triple the number from 2023.

Older adults are particularlyvulnerable, as scams directed at them often involve emotionally charged stories that exploit feelings of loneliness and concerns about financial security.

In 2024, achain message spread on Facebook and Messenger claiming that all senior citizens would receive a monthly ₱1,000 pension from the NCSC after registering on its website. The NCSC alreadydebunked this claim in 2023, but the false message continues to circulate and mislead older adults.

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This surge in scams is not unique to the Philippines, as the world is currently experiencing what experts call ascamdemic. With more Filipinos spending time online, the risk of falling victim to digital fraud continues to grow.

To address this, the #ScamAlert roadshow aims to build people’s resilience against scams and to encourage them to be more critical of the content they consume online.

Thefirst leg took place at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on March 28, in partnership with anti-disinformation coalition #FactsFirstPH, CICC, Department of the Interior and Local Government in Laguna, and UPLB College of Development Communication.–Rappler.com

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Protect families, senior citizens from scams: Join Rappler’s forum, workshops

What to expect

The danger of scams

Don’t let online scammers escape. Dial 1326 and report.

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