Check before you click: BMAP campaign targets online scams
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
MANILA — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expressed its full support for the “Scam Ready ASEAN Program” during the kickoff of its Philippine leg at the BSP Head Office in Manila on Monday.
Scam Ready ASEAN was officially launched on April 28, 2026, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The program matters because digital finance is reaching more Filipinos, and people who cannot spot a fraudulent scheme risk losing their hard-earned savings and their trust in the financial system.
The capacity-building initiative, led by the ASEAN Foundation, aims to equip 3 million people across Southeast Asia with practical skills to recognize, avoid, and respond to online scams.
To achieve this goal, the program seeks to develop 2,000 Master Trainers.
These trainers will help cascade scam awareness and prevention lessons in their respective communities and organizations.
A key component of the initiative is the Scam Ready game, an interactive learning tool that helps users identify fraudulent schemes and make safer decisions online.
In a recorded video message, BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. said, “At the BSP, we believe that as digital finance becomes more accessible, it must also become safer. We are proud to do our part in building a more vigilant, more resilient, and truly Scam Ready ASEAN.”
BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat emphasized in her keynote address: “Fighting scams requires more than awareness. It requires action and collaboration. Protecting consumers is a shared responsibility, and by working together, we can build stronger safeguards to protect Filipinos, their hard-earned savings, and the trust they place in our financial system.”
The event was led by the Bank Marketing Association of the Philippines (BMAP), together with the ASEAN Foundation and Google.org, and in collaboration with the BSP.
Google.org is the philanthropic arm of technology company Google.
During the event, BMAP also launched “Ang Mahal ma-Scam, i-scamcheck.ph Mo Muna,” an industry-wide campaign.
The campaign encourages people to verify information before clicking links, responding to messages, sending money, or sharing personal information online.
The launch gathered representatives from regulatory agencies, financial institutions, technology and telecommunications firms, law enforcement agencies, consumer groups, and other stakeholders.
These participants are committed to strengthening digital trust and resilience.
The BSP said it remains committed to working closely with public and private sector partners to strengthen fraud prevention efforts, promote digital trust, and protect Filipinos from scams and other cyber-enabled threats.
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