Group 3 Mobile Scam

ARELLANO UNIVERSITY Page
JOSE RIZAL MALABON CAMPUS

COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION 1
Gov. Pascual Ave., Malabon City
www.arellano.edu.ph
"YOU WON! TAP ME TO CLAIM: INVESTIGATING

THE VARIOUS TECHNIQUES OF
MOBILE SCAMMER."
A Thesis Presented To
The Faculty Of The School Of Criminology
ARELLANO UNIVERSITY JOSE RIZAL
CAMPUS MALABON
In Partial Fulfillment
Of The Requirements For The Degree
Bachelor Of Science In Criminology
By:
BOLSO, YORIE S.
DE ASIS, IRISH JOBELLE S.
LIMBAGA, ROSALINDA R
OLACO, RAYMOND C.
October 2022
` ARELLANO UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION
www.arellano.edu.ph
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE
Introduction
Background of the Study 4
Conceptual/Theoretical Framework 11
Paradigm of the Study 14
Statement of the Problem 15
Significance of the Study 15-16
Scope and Delimitation of the Study 17
Review Related Literature 17-21
Definition of Terms 23
Methodology 25
Research Design 25
Research Locale 26
Sampling Technique 26
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Research Instrument 26
Data Gathering Procedure 26
Ethical Consideration 28
References 31
Appendices
A. Permit to Conduct the Study 34
B. Survey Questionnaire 34
C. Validation of the Survey Questionnaire 40
Curriculum Vitae 41
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INTRODUCTION
Internet technological development had both beneficial and harmful
effects. The adverse effect is the rise of cybercrime, particularly in
commercial business dealings (N. Setiawan, 2018). Online scams grow as a
result of an increasing number of online transactions as well as other internet
activity that a netizen does in daily basis (M. S. Tangkeko et.al, 2019).
Hence, Cyber dangers abound, and since it is impossible to predict their
behavior early on, it is also difficult to stop them from spreading during the
initial stages of an attack (T.C.Panda et al., 2012). “A triple-digit number of
complaints were filed in 2017 by the Philippine National Police's Anti-
Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), up from a double-digit amount in 2013” ( E.
B. B. Palad et al, 2019). As of the latest in 2022 it continuously increase the
number of people being scam, it is because people always use mobile
phones in their different transaction cause by a quarantine for the past 2
years at a time of pandemic. There were 34,433 instances registered and
investigated by this Group as of June 2022, indicating an upward tendency
(PNP-ACG). The number of cases somehow alike to what happen in US,
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), computer security
incidents affected nine out of ten U.S. businesses in 2005, costing $67.2
billion in losses. According to an IBM poll, physical crimes are less of a
concern for American businesses than cybercrimes. 46% of consumer
complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2005 were related to
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internet fraud (N. Kshetri, 2009). In addition, according to Control of fraud on
mobile money services in Ghana: an exploratory study, it stated that the lack
of sophisticated information technology tools to detect the threat, weak
internal controls and processes, insufficient education and training, and
underwhelming pay for staff all contribute to fraud in mobile money services
(Dwomoh-Okudzeto et al, 2019). As banking services progressively become
digital, low-income and illiterate people are using them more frequently in
developing economies. The risk posed by cybercriminals looking to assault
sector actors' systems and customers is rising, nevertheless, at the same
time as this advancement. The industry must strengthen its defenses and
improve its capacity to react to it and recover from possible attacks if it
intends to keep gaining and retaining consumers' trust and confidence in
financial systems (S. B. Yazbeck et al, 2019). A wide range of solutions,
including both voluntary and legally required cooperation, are needed to
address the challenge of managing international cybercrime (G. C. Sosa
2009).
The personal data or information of a mobile user must be private and
secure from any kind of scams or data leakage. According to section 2 of
Republic Act 10173 – Data Privacy Act of 2012 “the policy of the State to
protect the fundamental human right of privacy, of communication while
ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation and growth.
Unfortunately, Phone numbers are frequently more consistent over time in
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scam activities than email addresses. Recurrent cybercriminal business
models and connect scam networks that are dispersed across several
nations by combining graph analysis and geographical Home Location
Register (HLR) lookups (J. Isacenkova et al, 2013). Therefore, “the State
recognizes the vital role of information and communications technology in
nation-building and its inherent obligation to ensure that personal information
and communications systems in the government and in the private sector are
secured and protected” according to National Privacy Commission. But
somehow they improve their hacking, cyber theft, cyber stalking, denial-of-
service attacks, malware distribution (primarily on personal computers and
mobile devices), and scamming. They use a range of software and unlawful
access to computer systems to do their business, engaging in a variety of
illicit actions (Pooja et al., 2014).
For the past years of fighting against the online scamming or
unauthorized gaining of personal information, the Republic of the Philippines
provided a laws regarding it. Section 2 of R.A. 8484, “The State recognizes
the recent advances in technology and the widespread use of access
devices in commercial transactions. Toward this end, the State shall protect
the rights and define the liabilities of parties in such commercial transactions
by regulating the issuance and use of access devices”.
The National Privacy Commission stated that the controller of
personal information is required to put reasonable and necessary
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organizational, physical, and technological safeguards in place to guard
against accidental or unlawful destruction, modification, and disclosure of
personal data, as well as any other unlawful processing. It also stated that
the person responsible for controlling personal information must take
reasonable and necessary steps to safeguard it from both natural hazards
like accidental loss or destruction and human hazards such unauthorized
access, fraudulent use, unauthorized deletion, alteration, and contamination.
According to Section 10 of Republic Act No. 8484 the penalty to any
individual who engages in any of the acts that constitute access device fraud
shall be penalized with a fine of ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00), or twice of
what the offense's gain was, imprisonment for not less than six (6) years and
not more than ten (10) years, whichever is greater (10) and in addition In the
case of a violation of Section 9. It means that any person violated the said
law have a punishment of fine and imprisonment that is reasonable to what
they did. In addition to that, based on Section 11 of Republic Act No. 8484
fraud involving access devices is being planned. If two (2) or more people
plan to commit any of the crimes detailed in Section 9 and one or more of
those individuals commits any act to each participant in the plot who fails to
carry out the plan will be punished as described in the instance where an act
is performed for which such a conspiracy is intended. Furthermore,
according to Section 29 of Republic Act 10173 – Data Privacy Act of 2012.
Those who intentionally and unlawfully violate data confidentiality and
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security data systems by breaking into any system where personal and
sensitive personal information is stored face a penalty of imprisonment
ranging from one (1) year to three (3) years as well as a fine of not less than
Php500,000.00 but not more than Php2,000,000.00. Unfortunately,
according to “Legal Consequences of Social Networking Malpractices: Users’
Perspectives versus the Reality of Cybercrime Prevention Act of the
Philippines” by Tarun, Ivy M (2018), the majority of respondents or people
are unaware of the legal repercussions of social networking mistakes. They
thought that the majority of the malpractices found had no legal
repercussions.
Before this law, people who commit cybercrime does not arrested like
in the case of I LOVE YOU VIRUS by Onel de Guzman at the AMA
Computer University in Manila. It is probably because the law is retroactive
and cannot be filed a case about it if there is no law punishing it. Therefore in
contrary to those who did a cybercrime the Government of the Philippines
created laws relating to any cybercrime.
In 2018, In accordance with Republic Act 8484 as amended by RA
11449, it is unlawful to access, with or without authorization, any application,
online banking account, credit card account, ATM account, or debit card
account in a fraudulent manner, regardless of whether doing so will cause
financial loss to the account holder. It means that the old law regarding
unlawful or illegal access to certain personal information have been
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improved and became more specific to the property of a user like for
example a credit card or bank account. It also covers those who maliciously
getting your account in your mobile banking or application that has a money
on it. With the help of all banks in the Philippines and the new law provided
safety it actually fight for those people who scamming and getting access to
personal data or even the mobile banking and all online transaction.
In today’s year 2022 the congress talk about the dramatically growing
of mobile scamming in the Philippines but sadly according to Cordora (NTC
Commissioner) they already block only 800 numbers that being complained
to them. The said statement was debunk by the senator Poe. The senator
stated that the amount of number being block is so tragic it is because more
than 100 Million in the Philippines are mobile users. In addition more and
more scammer doesn’t detected by the PNP-ACG because the SIM card
being use is a prepaid. According to Lt. Michelle Sabino, this is the reason
why investigators will never succeed since scammers utilize prepaid cards
that are hard to track down.
In the entire Philippines, text scams are on the rise, and their method
is even more concerning because the user's name is already on the
message. Older folks who are out of touch and ignorant about scams are
particularly susceptible to this. Additionally, since the pandemic began, a
growing number of people have begun to conduct their business on mobile
devices, which makes them more vulnerable to scammers.
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As soon as the people uses a phone, the vulnerability is there, so the
thing is how they do it. The citizens only know that they uses prepaid SIM
card for them to hide but the rarely question is how they get the name of the
person who uses the certain number? .This wide spreading of mobile
scamming are more alarming to the citizens of the Philippines. The 100
million users have a different opinion on how to solve or even lessen the
impact of it in daily life. Furthermore, the House Bill 5231's mandatory SIM
card registration provisions. The next stage in protecting the country against
cyber-attacks is the mandatory registration of SIM cards. It would be
extremely rational to want to safeguard this digital book, which is why there is
a need for such a bill. Hence some people said that it will increased the
number of people being hack or eventually being scammed since the user
need to register only his/her mobile number and by that if hacker eventually
get the information of you by hacking it this would be much more dangerous
to our privacy. Overall the only question that we need to know is how and
why they do it for us to establish a right way to fight against it.
The reason why the author of this study made the decision to
investigate a scammer's methods and motivations in further detail is to
uncover the unseen truth and also if the researcher could identify the cause,
it would be lot more beneficial to all. The only way to fully comprehend a
challenging situation is to dig deeper than a normal. Knowing their methods
and strategies will enable us to develop far more beneficial strategies that we
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can offer to our PNP-ACG to help them find an appropriate solution to this
problem. Finally, this would be a public matter, so that everyone could learn
more about scamming and enable them to know how to guard themselves
from it.
There are two theories that is applicable in this study. The first theory
is the Rational Choice Theory and next is the Space Transition Theory.
The rational choice theory in criminology is based on the utilitarian
tenet that people are rational decision-makers who assess costs and
advantages in addition to means in order to reach a decision. Cornish and
Clarke created this technique to aid in the development of situational crime
prevention strategies.
Understanding both individual and societal behavior can benefit from
the rational choice theory. Based on specific costs and rewards, it helps to
determine why individuals, groups, and society at large move toward
particular decisions. The rational choice theory also aids in explaining
conduct that appears to be irrational.
Space Transition Theory created by K. Jaishanker (2008) from the
book “Crimes of the Internet”. This theory aims to discuss the transition of
personality and behavior of a person in a certain individual when they in
physical space to cyberspace and vice versa. This theory is required to
explain why cybercrime happens. Since criminology has begun to regard the
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rise of cyberspace as a new location of criminal behavior the above-
mentioned space transition hypothesis offers an explanation for the criminal
activity in cyberspace (Jaishankar 2008). “Space transition theory explains
the nature of the behavior of the persons who brings out their conforming
and non- conforming behavior in the physical space and cyber space. Space
transition involves the movement of the person from one space to another
(e.g., from physical space to cyber space and vice versa). Space transition
theory argues that, people behave differently when they move from one
space to another” (Jaishankar, 2008).
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework:
Scammer
Possible
Victim of
Solution
Mobile
Scamming
The graphic shown above provides an overview and a visual
representation that aids in defining the study's factors based on the study's
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goals, which include figuring out how cybercriminals or Scammers function in
the process of scamming specially in times of peak of pandemic(2020-2022).
In addition, the mobile users are also the key point to analyze the existing
problem. By analyzing through victimization process the study will show how
and why the victim became vulnerable to different scams. By combining the
two key points or the primary subject of this study the researcher will show
the possible solution based on the interview and observation to those subject
matter.
Most crimes today take place online, the PNP Cybercrime Division
needs to be more technical in dealing with these kinds of crimes especially
Smishing and other mobile scamming. Furthermore, it offers a precise
explanation of the statement of the problem.
Figure 2: Research Paradigm:
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Process
- knowing the
Techniques and ways of
scamming thru mobile
-And analyzing the
Information being
gathered to both
subject matter
INPUT
DEMOGRAPHIC
PROFILE
-Name (optional)
-Years or month
being in that industry
(for scammers only)
The first gear at the bottom shows the respondents' socio
demographic profile that includes the age, sex, and marital status. It also
includes the years or months being in that cybercrime industry (for scammer
only). In this input the researcher will know the basic things about the
scammer that victimizes mobile users and also the victim as well. The next
gear in the middle indicate the process of knowing and analyzing the
scammers specially their techniques or ways on how they did those such
thing and also to dig deeper to the victims perspective about scamming, how
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they became victim of the modus and why they became victim of it .
Furthermore, in this part they will answer some of question that will be useful
for the researcher to recalibrate the ideas about scamming. In this part also
it discuss the step by step process of different scams they did for the past
few years or months being part of it. The last gear on top is the output. It
indicates the result of the study based on the previous techniques or ways
that the researcher gained in the scammer using interview and also the
victim or the mobile user that became target of the scams. Using a
phenomenological research with an intensive, systematic investigation using
interview to a person (Scammer and Victim) the result will show on how the
scammer did it and why the victim became the vulnerable target, therefore in
output process it will show on how to fight against it and the possible
program that is suitable to lessen the number of people being victimize. And
it also help the PNP- Cybercrime Division and other government agency to
impose a security and guidelines in fighting against Smishing (other term for
mobile scamming) and all other scams that uses Mobile as a platform.
The purpose of this Phenomenological study is to describe the lived
experiences of scammers and also the victims of mobile scamming in the
time of pandemic (2020-2022) to provide helpful guidance to anybody who
might undergo the same experience like in the victim who suffer loss due to
scamming.
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Specifically, this study will seek answers to the following questions:
1. Respondent’s demographic profile and the years being part of
scamming industry (scammer).
2. How do the respondents describe their lived experiences while doing
the mobile scamming (scammer)
3. What scamming techniques and ways happen to the respondents that
affect their daily life (Victim)?
4. How do the respondents describe their experience being scammed?
The result of this study may help the victims and the PNP-Cybercrime
Division and realize to solve and seek for the possible solution to this mobile
scamming. The useful and relevant information acquired from the study will
encourage other Telco Companies to continue the in-depth research about
mobile scamming that ruin their reputations. This study may enhance
involvement of PNP-Cybercrime Division as well as the Philippine Privacy
Commission in the process of solving the issue. Results may also help
benefits investors who uses mobile phone as their transaction material for
business for them to be safe from mobile scammers.
Lastly the overall research may help the other researchers to identify
the root cause of the mobile scamming industry happen in the country as a
basis for their future research.
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The subject of the study was the various techniques of mobile
scammer in Malabon City. The respondents of the study were the scammers
and also the victims of mobile scamming within the research locale.
The study was delimited on the demographic-profile of the scammers
and the victims on how they did and how they become part of it.
It covered a period of October 2022 to March2023. The researcher
was interested in conducting the study because of the latest issue occur
during the pandemic until the present times. This will be a huge success if
the researcher figured out the deep root of it for them to analyze the possible
solution to this.
Foreign Literatures:
According to N. Setiawan, 2018. “IMPACT OF CYBERCRIME IN E-
BUSINESS AND TRUST”. The influence will change how shoppers see them
online. The company's online business must thus be able to foresee the
potential of criminality for the mentioned online business transactions.
Additionally, in order to preserve customer confidence in online buying,
online business organizations must have the proper policies and measures
in place to reduce or remove any hazards. To safeguard information and
data for the convenience of customers purchasing online, protection of
consumer transactions in the virtual world was developed. Another important
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objective of the business is to guarantee that customers constantly purchase
online in order to increase their convenience and happiness.
According to T.C.Panda et al., 2012. “Financial and Non-financial
Implications of Cybercrimes in Emerging Countries”. It is quite challenging to
precisely estimate the economic impact of cybercrimes in today's worldwide
society. However, there are important distinctions between the financial and
non-financial effects of cybercrime assaults. Despite growing knowledge,
emerging nations continue to have relatively high cyber security risk.
According to N. Kshetri, 2009. “Positive Externality, Increasing
Returns, and the Rise in Cybercrimes”. Cybercrimes are defined as illegal
behaviors where the primary method of committing an offense is a computer
or computer network. Examples include online theft, trespassing, obscenity,
assaults on vital infrastructure, and cyber extortion. The environment for
cybercrime stands out for its novelty, degree of globalization, and
dependence on technology and skilled labor. There are externality effects
within the cybercriminal community as well as across society and businesses
due to factors like the widespread online availability of hacking tools,
information sharing within the cybercriminal community, the availability of
experienced hackers' assistance to less skilled criminals, and congestion in
law enforcement systems.
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According to Dwomoh-Okudzeto et al, 2019. “Control of fraud on
mobile money services in Ghana: an exploratory study”. The study found that
insufficient internal controls and processes, a lack of advanced information
technology tools to identify the threat, a lack of proper education and
training, and low employee compensation all contribute to fraud in mobile
money services. These elements interfere with service efficiency and growth.
Mobile money providers and affiliate banks should create and implement a
comprehensive legal code and internal fraud policy in order to stop this
threat. In addition to encouraging public awareness efforts to inform
stakeholders, particularly mobile money users, about the scams perpetrated
by fraudsters, adequate training for mobile money agents is also
recommended.
According to S. B. Yazbeck et al, 2019 “CYBER SECURITY IN
FINANCIAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENT Challenges and potential solutions
for financial inclusion”. As banking services progressively become digital,
low-income and illiterate people are using them more frequently in
developing nations. However, at the same time as this development, market
participants face an increasing danger from cybercriminals attempting to
target their systems and customers. The industry must strengthen its
defenses and improve its capacity to recognize and react to possible threats
if it is to continue fostering and sustaining customer confidence in financial
systems.
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According to J. Isacenkova et al, 2013. “Inside the SCAM Jungle: A
Closer Look at 419 Scam Email Operations”. In this work, we investigate how
these types of scam campaigns are structured and change over time using a
public dataset. We focus on the use of phone numbers as crucial identifiers
to group messages together and show how con artists run their operations.
In fact, since the victim must be able to get in touch with the criminal, both
email addresses and phone numbers must be real and frequently remain the
same and are repeatedly utilized. We also go through a number of instances
of 419 scam schemes in depth, some of which go on for years. We illustrate
these cases graphically and analyze their features.
According to Pooja et al, 2014.” Cross-Site Scripting Attacks:
Classification, Attack, and Countermeasures”. Hackers hone their skills in
virus dissemination (mainly on personal computers and mobile devices),
cyber theft, cyber stalking, denial-of-service assaults, and scamming. They
engage in a number of illegal activities and employ a variety of software and
unauthorized access to computer systems to do their operations.
Local Literatures:
According to M. S. Tangkeko et.al, 2019 “Document Classification of
Filipino Online Scam Incident Text using Data Mining Techniques”. This
study uses the Weka text mining technology to categorize a dataset of online
scams in order to derive conclusions. Unstructured data from online scams
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was taken into account; it contained 14,098 words, mostly in Filipino. To
create classification models, J48 Decision Tree, Naive Bayes, and
Sequential Minimal Optimization were employed. Performance and
prediction accuracy of these three classifiers or algorithms were compared.
The findings demonstrate that J48, followed by Naive Bayes and the SMO
classifier, obtains the best accuracy and the lowest error rate. J48 is chosen
above the other classifiers, according to replies during validation, since it is
simple to comprehend and use in cybercrime investigations.
According to PNP-ACG official page (2022). Along with these brilliant
successes, the PNP-ACG recently collaborated with Ayala Malls Manila Bay
to present segmented short video clips that are broadcast on cinema
screens in all Ayala Malls in the metro and feature various cyber operating
methods. In order to keep an eye on fraudsters hiding in internet, the OIC,
ACG also ordered the greatest presence of cyber patrollers online. The PNP-
methods ACG's for combating cybercrime also evolve, he continued, just as
cybercriminals do in order to further their illicit enterprises.
According to G. C. Sosa (2009). “COUNTRY REPORT ON
CYBERCRIME: THE PHILIPPINES”. A wide range of solutions, including
both voluntary and legally required cooperation, are needed to address the
problem of managing international cybercrime. Government must tackle
international issues with vigor initiatives to create a common and significant
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level of cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime
offenses, as there are currently significant differences among states in the
legal, regulatory, or policy environment concerning cybercrime. These
initiatives could be voluntary, informal information exchange or multilateral
treaties.
According to Ivy M Tarun, 2018. “Legal Consequences of Social
Networking Malpractices: Users’ Perspectives versus the Reality of
Cybercrime Prevention Act of the Philippines”. The Philippines' Cybercrime
Prevention Act, also known as Republic Act 10175, is now in effect.
However, many people continue to become victims of various cybercrimes
despite the government and private institutions' efforts to raise awareness of
the new law. Because of this, R.A. 10175 should not be disregarded if
security and safety are desired. The goal of this study was to ascertain users'
perceptions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of the Philippines, or R.A., as
well as the actuality of specific social networking sins. 10175. It specifically
identified the social networking sites that people utilized, as well as the
viewpoints of the users on the legal repercussions of particular social
networking mistakes and an analysis of those repercussions.
According to the news article of Daily Inquirer. Net 2022. “NTC: Just
800 text scam complaints received in 2022”. Unfortunately, according to
Cordora (NTC Commissioner), they only currently ban 800 numbers that
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have been reported to them. The congress has spoken about the
significantly increasing mobile scamming in the Philippines. The senator Poe
refuted the aforementioned assertion. The senator said that the number of
people who are being blocked is extremely unfortunate because there are
more than 100 million mobile subscribers in the Philippines. Additionally,
when more and more prepaid SIM cards are used, the PNP-ACG is unable
to detect scammers. Lt. Michelle Sabino claims that this is the reason why
investigators would never be successful because con artists use prepaid
cards that are challenging to find.
Cybercrime. The advent of computers facilitated a number of human
functions and necessities. Internet surfaced as a magical instrument with a
wide reach not even restricted by the international borders. The possibility of
sharing data and information on such a colossal scale provided a new
modus operandi to the criminals, broadly referred to as cybercrime. This
would be a huge tactic using mobile phones or computers as a platform of
crime. (Rashmi Saroha, 2014).
Fraud. for private gain or benefit: altering input in an unauthorized way;
destroying I suppressing I misappropriating computer output; altering
computerized data; alteration or misuse of programs (excluding virus
infections. (William Hutchinson, 2011).
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Phishing. When an online user is deceived into disclosing his/her
confidential information such as password or PIN (personal identification
number) or account number, this is known as Phishing. (Ezer Osei Yeboah-
Boateng and Priscilla Mateko Amanor, 2014).
Smishing. SMiShing which is a form of Phishing that uses short messaging
services (SMS) or text messages on mobile phones and Smartphone’s.
SMiShing derived its name from the test messaging technology SMS (Short
Message Service). (Ezer Osei Yeboah-Boateng and Priscilla Mateko
Amanor, 2014).
Scam. According to Collins English Dictionary. If someone scams a person
or organization, they deceive them in order to get something valuable from
them, especially money. It is form of messages that trick someone to put
money on it.
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METHODOLOGY
The study's dates, locations, and procedures are described in this
section of the paper, along with the respondents who will be reached for
interviews to gather information about their experiences in their different
Scamming Industry they belong and also the victim of it. This research will
use a phenomenological research with a qualitative approach. In this kind of
research design, “it will help us to understand the meaning of people’s lived
experiences. This type of study explores what people experience and
focuses on their experience of phenomenon. The fundamental question in
phenomenological is the meaning, structure, and essence of the lived
experience of this phenomenon by a person or persons. Conducting in-depth
interviews is common method for gaining access to an individual’s life world.
Phenomenological researchers often seek commonalities across individuals,
rather than focusing on what is unique about individuals” (Matira and
Estrada, 2022). The phenomenological research design is the most
appropriate in the context of this research study, if the goal is to gather in-
depth or intensive Information about subjects' experiences working in the
different scamming industry and the perspective of the victim. This is a
beyond investigation of the techniques and ways used by different mobile
scammers and the reason why some mobile user became a victim.
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In accordance with the rationale of the study, the researchers will
search for a single participant in the different kinds of the scamming industry
and a total of 20 respondents that became victim of different scams in mobile
phone. The researcher observed that most of cybercriminals are in the line of
poverty. According to study in Nigeria poverty pushes individual to do
cybercrime for them to gain and attack the national security of their own
county (Akinyetun Tope Shola, 2021).
The study will be conducted at Malabon City, Metro Manila. Even if we
are in pandemic the researchers try to reach out in one on one interview to
the subject (scammer). It is to intensively know every single details that
he/she have. The said one on one interview is to ensure the confidentiality of
the subject. And also a face to face interview to the victims of different mobile
scam.
In order to gain the participants or the subject, the researchers uses a
purposive sampling. According to Rukayya S Alkassim and Xuankiem Tran
(2015), the collection of data is essential to study because it allows us to
understand a theoretical framework more fully. Since no amount of analysis
can make up for poorly gathered data, it becomes imperative to choose the
method of getting data and the source of the data with solid judgment. The
purposeful selection of a participant is a component of the judgment
sampling method, which is also known as purposive sampling. This non-
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random technique does not require underlying theories or a predetermined
number of participants. Simply defined, the researchers chooses what
information is necessary to have and then searches for sources willing and
able to supply it based on their knowledge or experience. It is utilized to find
and choose the information-rich instances in qualitative research to make the
best use of the resources at hand. This entails locating and choosing
individuals or groups of individuals who are knowledgeable and skilled in the
phenomena of interest. Noting the value of availability, participation, and the
capacity to articulately, expressively, and reflectively share experiences and
ideas in addition to knowledge and experience. Purposive sampling aims to
focus on persons with certain characteristics, as opposed to random
research, which purposefully encompass a varied cross section of ages,
backgrounds, and cultures. Qualities that make them better suited to help
with the pertinent study. Based on his/her answer related to the knowledge
and experience, the researchers can identify why and how they did it.
According to Neetij Rai (2015), Purposive sampling's major objective is to
concentrate on particular demographic traits that are interesting the
researchers in order to respond to their research questions. The population
being examined is not typical of the general population, but for researchers
pursuing qualitative or mixed methods research designs, this is not viewed
as a weakness. Instead, it is a decision, the goal of which differs based on
27
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the kind of sampling technique utilized for purpose. It does not use others
which is not fit for the criteria.
To learn more about how online or mobile scams works, the
researchers will employ an interview guide with the respondents.
Additionally, to find out their opinions on the aforementioned cybercrime.
To ensure the confidentiality of his or her respondents concerning
their experiences, the researchers decided to conduct a face-to-face, one-
on-one interview. Depending on the participants' backgrounds, interviews will
run anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes depending on the answer of the
respondents. The study chooses to formulate a question in English but it was
translated in Filipino for better understanding. The procedures used by
researchers for data collecting and interpretation are described below.
1. The thesis advisor and the dean of the school of criminology at
Arellano University Malabon - Jose Rizal Campus shall be asked for
their permission by the researchers.
To create an ethical study, the researchers will adhere to the research
ethics. To conduct this investigation with research ethics in mind, the
participants will be asked to give their agreement once the researchers have
provided them with information about the study, including its title, a
description of the respondents, and its aim. Additionally, the researchers
28
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protected the respondents' profile and right to participate. Paul Spicker,
(2011 - SAGE Journals).
It is taken into account by the researchers as an aspect of the study.
Additionally, if they choose to, participants are free to leave the research at
any time. Additionally, the researchers will guarantee that involvement is
voluntarily given. The participants won't suffer any negative effects.
Participants' personal information will only be used for the study's objectives
and won't be shared with anyone else. The participants will receive as much
information as possible about the study's nature and objectives. The
community as well as the researchers, participants, and next researchers will
gain from this study.
Detailed descriptions of the processes used to protect the participants'
anonymity and the confidentiality of the data. The researchers were in
charge of all the data, which was used solely for the study. The study's
participants have access to the data that the researchers have collected, and
in fairness, participant will have a personal copy of the consent form in
addition to access to the most recent study results that they have requested.
According to the American Psychological Association's citation rules, the
authors and additional references were correctly mentioned and
acknowledged (APA).
29
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Finding, examining, and interpreting patterns and themes in textual
data is part of the analysis process used to see how these trends and
themes contribute to the research topics at hand (Jack Caulfield, 2019).
Verbatim transcriptions of all observations and interviews were made. After
that, the transcripts were unitized, which separated the information into
distinct facts that could stand alone. Due to the fact that they are the ones
who have doing and experienced the aforementioned cybercrime, the
experiences that the respondent and participant will have an impact on this
study. In general, recurrent, nonlinear analysis of qualitative data is regarded
to be a process.
Therefore, it is common for researchers to omit describing a step-by-
step analytic process. However, the researchers thought it was crucial to
consider the process in terms of phases that frequently overlap one another.
While keeping in mind that qualitative analysis is naturally fluid and,
occasionally, a little messy, these processes can be carried out in a
systematic way. Phase-by-phase data analysis has the advantage of making
the process more understandable to both the qualitative researcher and the
reader of a research report.
30
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REFERENCES

A. Costin, J. Isacenkova, M. Balduzzi, A. Francillon and D. Balzarotti, "The
role of phone numbers in understanding cyber-crime schemes," 2013
Eleventh Annual Conference on Privacy, Security and Trust, 2013, pp.
213-220, doi: 10.1109/PST.2013.6596056.
Akomea-Frimpong, I., Andoh, C., Akomea-Frimpong, A. and Dwomoh-
Okudzeto, Y. (2019), "Control of fraud on mobile money services in
Ghana: an exploratory study", Journal of Money Laundering Control,
Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 300-317. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-03-2018-
0023
Cajudo, A. L., & Pecho, N. O. (2015). SIM cards to register or not to register?
That is the question!. Retrieved from
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/5595
E. B. B. Palad, M. S. Tangkeko, L. A. K. Magpantay and G. L. Sipin,
"Document Classification of Filipino Online Scam Incident Text using
Data Mining Techniques," 2019 19th International Symposium on
Communications and Information Technologies (ISCIT), 2019, pp.
232-237, doi: 10.1109/ISCIT.2019.8905242.
pnp.gov.ph/main/press-releases/463-pnp-acg-vows-to-beef-up-campaign-
against-cybercrimes.html
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8905242
31
www.arellano.edu.ph
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8905242
https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No79/No79_12PA_Sosa.pdf
https://www.findevgateway.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/
cyber_security_paper_november2019.pdf
https://www.privacy.gov.ph/data-privacy-act/#2
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Positive-externality%2C-increasing-
returns%2C-and-the-Kshetri/
e3fa0a34e7ba2d4b3d8089e5490c77e1273b73a7?
sort=relevance&citationIntent=background
https://acg.pnp.gov.ph/main/e-library/17-legal-references/163-ra-8484-
access-devices-regulation-act-of-1998.html
https://www.divinalaw.com/dose-of-law/be-smarter-than-a-skimmer/
#:~:text=Section%209%20(s)%20of%20Republic,loss%20to%20the
%20account%20holder.
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2019/ra_11449_2019.html
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1660775/ntc-gets-some-800-complaints-of-text-
scams-in-2022
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1182670
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tope-Akinyetun/publication/
354238252_Poverty_Cybercrime_and_National_Security_in_Nigeria/links/
32
www.arellano.edu.ph
612df65038818c2eaf707b19/Poverty-Cybercrime-and-National-Security-in-
Nigeria.pdf
https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/55796997/
Comparison_Convenience_and_Purposive_Sampling-2016_4p-with-cover-
page-v2.pdf?
Expires=1667356585&Signature=L8WbCd6D7QIaTpnWAAaDuNuJLyPDSs
w0cuIbY8EV9lgQO5L7GwASKyOZ9LJLFoIEuQY4MvCejmzAocBqDANzoxQ
De6bVFb5r0zXy7NEIyu-
AzUsZZ6V5rcAJ30swM8u5IqsvNCK1V1bLj8EjAbjQ1Wrzw5GFncvdDErudgL
JIMZ7zaVu12UjDXg4-TvBnk3lrxqZbB8Z4eitcLOTb3GXZTwmH5uqTHp3M-
D5wgEljHyglojQuuufZsOsZ6N4Qba24SwuZsWC7CNnS-
GMnqscS9gY~Nes4Jm-nBZg3ZU-Q9~UvPBC35ilvLB-SJ08JHh2-
OKo3qH0vHD-EP2hHSv7XA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/48403395/
A_Study_on_Purposive_Sampling_Method_in_Research-with-cover-page-
v2.pdf?
Expires=1667358806&Signature=M7CLMO2c4DIE8Qe6B5UMu1s2em-
5UOTon9~y4tDeA2Tr7Fy9cmsXZcwPt-
rNpOXThjWErBiRqkLfkc2D~RG9QIVJSd8sIBM3iGpr3WxeRCBauxG9rXAm
qsYWX7SUJDjJMZ-
HO~Wzt2Gq2QJMSizrpGbs0Jj3itH4uZo1caWrXrPo2jT5XX6-jG0WCgmP-
cmL32~qOV9MRDchwMl9UjT8RdOQKMoPLsAIMfEJ4gTSe9VnbRm60JNde
33
www.arellano.edu.ph
2vFyveJUHRr5U~yCJlT7G7qzZ9jSXOVn6UQQHxwUMvRrtz1oFqbvgMOqZ
H15lLkcqmSiAKYbFevSYqphbUMYSGccKiLYMF06w__&Key-Pair-
Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/thematic-analysis/
APPENDIX A
03 October 2022
Dear Respondents;
We are the group of BS CRIMINOLOGY students from the Arellano University
-Jose Rizal Campus, Who are now researching the " Techniques and ways of a
Mobile Scammer". We kindly ask for some of your time to complete answering the
Interview questions that the researcher ask.
Your identity will not appear in any report or publication of the research, and
any information you provide will be treated in confidentiality.
And lastly, your participation in this study is entirely up to you, and you can
decide to stop at any moment. Your decision to decline will have no impact on how
you interact with the researchers and the institution. If you decide to leave the study,
all information will not be used and be deleted right away. Please contact us at
09182366046, if you have any queries concerning this request , your part in this
research, or anything else related.
Thank you very much,

Sincerely,
Researchers
APPENDIX B
INTERVIEW GUIDE
Demographic profile of the respondents:
Age
Sex
Educational attainment
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Marital status
Transcription of Interview (Respondents)
Table 1: Scammers detailed Answer to the Questions provided below.
Questions Answers
1. What kind of scam industry do you
belong.
- “Ano pong klaseng Scam po yung
ginagawa po ninyo”.
2. What did you use in doing this
transaction?
- “Ano ang ginagamit mo para sa Gawain
o prosesong ito?”
3. You said a while ago that you uses
application for it, can you say what
application it is and how it is work?
- “Nasabi po ninyo na application po ng
Cellphone yung ginagamit ninyo, pwede
ninyo po ba sabihin kung ano at paano
35
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ito gumagana”.
4. What process do you do for this
transaction?
- Ano po yung prosesso na ginagawa po
ninyo para sa transaksyon nyo?
5. How do you earn to this work
- paano po kayo kumikita rito?
6. What did you do to convince your
victim to join?
- Paano nyo po nakukumbinse ang
biktima nyo po?
7. what happen to the application and to
your victim after you get the money?
- Pagkatapos makuha yung pera, ano na
po yung mangyayari sa inutangan po
ninyong app at sa nabiktima po ninyo?
8. Do you have an organization or group
that victimize thru this scam? If yes what
what position are you in to this
organization?
- May mga kasama po ba kayo sa
gawaing ito? kung oo, ano po yung
36
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katungkulan nyo po sa organisasyon
nyo?
9. How many years does this modus
operandi operates?
- Ilang taon na po ba katagal itong
kalakaran na ito?
10. Does your organization have
connection to other kind of scam like the
Smishing and other kinds of scam, if not
do you have any idea about it?
- Konektado po ba kayo sa iba pang mga
scam na lumalaganap sa selpon gaya ng
Smishing at iba pang klase ng scam sa
selpon? Kung hindi, may nalalaman ba
kayo patungkol dito?
Transcription of Interview (Respondents)
A total of 20 Victims of Mobile Scam are given a question via Interview
for at least 20-30 minutes depending on their response to get their answers
to the following question provided by the Researchers.
Table 2: Victims detailed Answer to the Questions provided below.
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Questions Answers
1. What kind of mobile scam
did you experience?
- Anong klaseng mobile
scam ang iyong
naranasan
2. Does this scam affects
your daily life?
- Nakaapekto ba ito sa
iyong pang-araw-araw
na Gawain?
3. What do you feel about it?
- Ano ang nararamdaman
mo rito?
4. Are you aware about this
modus?
- Bukas ba ang iyong
kamalayan ukol sa
38
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modus na ito?
5. Would you mind sharing
your experience about it?
- Maaari mo bang i-hayag
ang nangyari sa iyo.
6. Does your experience
happen also to someone
you know?
- Nangyari na rin ba ito sa
iyong kakilala?
7. What you did after you’ve
been scammed?
- Ano ang iyong ginawa
matapos na ikaw ay ma
“Scam”
8. Does your family know
this?
- Alam ba ito ng iyong
39
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pamilya?
9. Do you report it to the
barangay or PNP-
Cybercrime?
- Pinaalam mob a ito sa
barangay o sa PNP-
Cybercrime Group
10. What advice do you give to
someone being scammed
thru mobile phone?
- Ano ang iyong
mabibigay na payo sa
mga taong na Scam
din?
APPENDIX C
Validation of the Survey Questionnaire
Certification: hereby certify that I have reviewed the contents of this

instrument and found out that the researcher has incorporated all my
suggestions Dane this 1st of December 2022
Desire Garcia-Estrada Ph.D.
40
www.arellano.edu.ph
CURRICULUM VITAE
Bolso, Yorie Sangcap

yoriebolso@yahoo.com
Blk.39 Lot4 Phase3 F1 Sabalo St. Brgy.12
Dagat-Dagatan Caloocan city
Contact No: 09358232597
OBJECTIVES
To obtain a job that can use my communication skills, make me more

independent, can help or support my needs in schooling, and experience the real
world.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
GENDER : Male
AGE : 19
DATE OF BIRTH : May 18, 1999
PLACE OF BIRTH : Malabon City
RELIGION : Roman Catholic
NATIONALITY : Filipino
WEIGHT : 150 lbs.
HEIGHT : 5’6
FATHER’S NAME : Jaime A. Bolso
OCCUPATION : Tricycle Driver/Opperator
MOTHER’S NAME : Merlita S. Bolso
OCCUPATION : House Wife
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
NAME OF SCHOOL SCHOOLTERM
ELEMENTARY : Ninoy Aquino Elementary School 2007-2013

Malabon City
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL : Longos National High School 2013-2017

Malabon City
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL : Arellano University EEC 2017-2019

Malabon City
41
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MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
 Became a honor student in junior high and senior high.
 Became an Entertainment Editor in school newspaper.
 Became a best actor in theatre play in school.
SKILLS
 Strong morals and ethics ensure honesty, reliability and ability
to undertake tasks responsibly.
 Ability to balance workloads efficiently.
 Flexible, willing to take on more responsibilities as needed .
 Have a good communication skills.
ORGANIZATIONS
 Campus Integrity Crusaders

 C.A.T.
 PINSEL (School newspaper)
 Comelec on school
 English Club
SEMINARS/ TRAININGS ATTENDED
NAME OF TRAININGS SPONSORING AGENCY DATE

RD
3 Campus Integrity Office of the February 15, 2017
Crusaders Congress - Ombudsman
NCR
CHARACTER REFERENCES
 Avelino Diola
A.P. Teacher in Longos National High School
09208349488
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www.arellano.edu.ph
Name: LIMBAGA, ROSALINDA R.
Email Address: spio3bad@yahoo.com

Address: PH1, GOZON LETRE TONSUYA
MALABON CITY
Contact Number : 09502469865
OBJECTIVE:
Pursue a work that would help me grow and learn to my new skills, where I
can utilize my knowledge as prescribed by your good company.
PERSONAL INRORMATION:
GENDER: Female
AGE: 21
DATE OF BIRTH: July 30, 2000
PLACE OF BIRTH: Fabellia Hospital
RELIGION: Catholic
NATIONALITY: Filipino
WEIGHT: 60
HEIGHT: 5'2"
FATHER’S NAME: Ananias B. Limbaga
OCCUPATION: Deceased
MOTHER’S NAME: Ramona R. Limbaga
OCCUPATION: House Wife
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT:
NAME OF SCHOOL
SCHOOL TERM
ELEMENTARY : Epifanio de los santos
2012-2013
Elementary School
HIGH SCHOOL : Tugatog National School
2016-2017
43
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SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL : Arellano University

2018-2019
COLLEGE : Arellano University
2021-2022
SKILLS:
 Trust-worthy
 Ability to work under pressure
 Self-motivation
 Computer literate
 Communication skills
 Able to work long hours in a fast-paced restaurant while on feet
 Impressive skills in delivering friendly customer service
 Excellent time management skills and consistently on time to shift

CHARACTER REFERENCES:
NAME POSITION COMPANY CONTACT

No.
Gary Bautista Owner Computer Shop 09274541646
Remars M. Mirano Security COCA-COLA 09614381063

COMPANY
Angelica U. Marketing Cleveland 09159588841

Ibahuran Advertising
44
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Raymond C. Olaco
Raymondolaco5@gmail.com
0028 Sanchez St. Arkong Bato Valenzuela city
09955260564
OBJECTIVES
Obtain a police officer in order to better community using social

perceptiveness and critical thinking skills along with knowledge of human
behavior.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
GENDER : Male
AGE : 23
DATE OF BIRTH : June 29, 1999
PLACE OF BIRTH : Caloocan City
RELIGION : Roman Catholic
NATIONALITY : Filipino
WEIGHT : 72 kg
HEIGHT : 5’10
FATHER’S NAME : Ruel T. Olaco
OCCUPATION :Driver
MOTHER’S NAME : Nora Capa Adlawan
OCCUPATION : Housewife
NAME OF SCHOOL SCHOOL TERM

ELEMENTARY : Santulan Elementary 2005 – 2011
Malabon City
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL : Arkong Bato National High school 2012 – 2016
123 Decena St. Arkong Bato
Valenzuela City
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL: Arellano University – Malabon 2017 – 2019
Elisa Esguerra Campus
Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS)
45
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IRISH JOBBELLE DE ASIS

CONTACT: +639454577844
Ba@gmail.com
OBJECTIVE
Seeking a position that can provide a steady growth and learning opportunity
to practice my profession and practical experience
NAME OF SCHOOL SCHOOL TERM

ELEMENTARY : Arellano University 2005 – 2011
Malabon City
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL : Arellano University 2011- 2017
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL: Arellano University – Malabon 2017 – 2019
Elisa Esguerra Campus
Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS)
EXPERIENCE
AE COMPANY
Jan-Apr 2022
SKILLS
Good Communication to other people Dynamic team player
willingness to work long hours and do field work as well
Flexible and can easily be trained Con endure high pressure during trading
hours.
46

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ARELLANO UNIVERSITY Page

JOSE RIZAL MALABON CAMPUS

"YOU WON! TAP ME TO CLAIM: INVESTIGATING

Background of the Study 4

Paradigm of the Study 14

Statement of the Problem 15

Significance of the Study 15-16

Scope and Delimitation of the Study 17

Review Related Literature 17-21

Data Gathering Procedure 26

A. Permit to Conduct the Study 34

C. Validation of the Survey Questionnaire 40

Internet technological development had both beneficial and harmful

effects. The adverse effect is the rise of cybercrime, particularly in

commercial business dealings (N. Setiawan, 2018). Online scams grow as a

result of an increasing number of online transactions as well as other internet

Hence, Cyber dangers abound, and since it is impossible to predict their

initial stages of an attack (T.C.Panda et al., 2012). “A triple-digit number of

complaints were filed in 2017 by the Philippine National Police's Anti-

Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), up from a double-digit amount in 2013” ( E.

B. B. Palad et al, 2019). As of the latest in 2022 it continuously increase the

number of people being scam, it is because people always use mobile

phones in their different transaction cause by a quarantine for the past 2

years at a time of pandemic. There were 34,433 instances registered and

investigated by this Group as of June 2022, indicating an upward tendency

(PNP-ACG). The number of cases somehow alike to what happen in US,

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), computer security

billion in losses. According to an IBM poll, physical crimes are less of a

concern for American businesses than cybercrimes. 46% of consumer

complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2005 were related to

internet fraud (N. Kshetri, 2009). In addition, according to Control of fraud on

of sophisticated information technology tools to detect the threat, weak

internal controls and processes, insufficient education and training, and

(Dwomoh-Okudzeto et al, 2019). As banking services progressively become

developing economies. The risk posed by cybercriminals looking to assault

sector actors' systems and customers is rising, nevertheless, at the same

improve its capacity to react to it and recover from possible attacks if it

intends to keep gaining and retaining consumers' trust and confidence in

financial systems (S. B. Yazbeck et al, 2019). A wide range of solutions,

including both voluntary and legally required cooperation, are needed to

address the challenge of managing international cybercrime (G. C. Sosa

The personal data or information of a mobile user must be private and

secure from any kind of scams or data leakage. According to section 2 of

protect the fundamental human right of privacy, of communication while

ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation and growth.

Unfortunately, Phone numbers are frequently more consistent over time in

scam activities than email addresses. Recurrent cybercriminal business

nations by combining graph analysis and geographical Home Location

recognizes the vital role of information and communications technology in

nation-building and its inherent obligation to ensure that personal information

secured and protected” according to National Privacy Commission. But

service attacks, malware distribution (primarily on personal computers and

access to computer systems to do their business, engaging in a variety of

illicit actions (Pooja et al., 2014).

For the past years of fighting against the online scamming or

unauthorized gaining of personal information, the Republic of the Philippines

the recent advances in technology and the widespread use of access

by regulating the issuance and use of access devices”.

The National Privacy Commission stated that the controller of

personal information is required to put reasonable and necessary

organizational, physical, and technological safeguards in place to guard

against accidental or unlawful destruction, modification, and disclosure of

the person responsible for controlling personal information must take