TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE 
S. No. ^38
!.i * i~r,'' ". r?1' 'v
25 AUG-5 P4 -01
RECEIVED 5
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, SENIOR CITIZENS, THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR 
CAREGIVERS ON IDENTIFYING AND PREVENTING FRAUDULENT 
ACTIVITIES TARGETING SENIOR CITIZENS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In 2019, a 67-year old widow lost P8 million in a "love scam," where a foreign 
national who introduced himself as a Filipino contractor and fabricated stories to solicit 
money from the victim, while banking on their alleged "romantic, virtual relationship".1
This is just one of the many criminal cases preying on the elderly. In November 
2021, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) alerted the public about the rampant 
"love scams" and "budol-budol" schemes amid the pandemic. NBI warned about the 
alarming 100% increase in cybercrime cases being reported to them, and most of the 
targets are retired senior citizens.2
In the recent distribution of financial assistance to senior citizens, there was a 
rise in the number of perpetrators of text messages and online scams. To them, the
1 https://newsinfo.inauirer.net/1190655/nigerian-nabbed-over-alleeed-p8-m-online-scam
2 "NBI reminds seniors to beware of 'love scams,' 'budol-budol' amid pandemic. November 23, 2021. 
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/technologv/811914/nbi-reminds-seniors-to-beware-of-love-
scams-budol-budol-amid-pandemic/storv/


senior citizens are the perfect victims because they are unsuspecting, vulnerable, and 
not tech-savvy.
To protect the senior citizens from being victimized by these schemes, the 
National Commission of Senior Citizens issued on April 2, 2024 a public advisory giving 
warning against phishing websites targeting senior citizens.3 An article entitled, 
"Senior scam-dales: Beware of con-artists targeting the elderly" published on June 19, 
2024, quoted an explanation of the National Council on Aging of the United States 
that senior citizens are targeted preys of scammers because they are believed to have 
plenty of money in bank. These schemes are "devastating to many older adults and 
can leave them in a vulnerable position, with limited ability to recover their losses".4
According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which releases an 
annual report on Elder Fraud5, there are various schemes being employed by 
scammers targeting elder citizens:
• 
Romance Scam: Criminals pose as interested romantic partners on social media 
or dating websites to capitalize on their elderly victims' desire to find 
companions.
• 
Tech support scam: Criminals pose as technology support representatives and 
offer to fix non-existent computer issues. The scammers gain remote access to 
victims' devices and sensitive information.
• 
Grandparent scam: A type of confidence scam where criminals pose as a 
relative—usually a child or grandchild—claiming to be in immediate financial 
need.
• 
Government impersonation scam: Criminals pose as government employees 
and threaten to arrest or prosecute victims unless they agree to provide funds 
or other payments.
3 PUBLIC ADVISORY : Beware of Phishine Website Targeting the Senior Citizens
4 https://mb.com.ph/2024/6/19/senior-scam-dals
5 Elder Fraud — FBI


• 
Sweepstakes / charity / lottery scam: Criminals claim to work for legitimate 
charitable organizations to gain victims' trust. Or they claim their targets have 
won a foreign lottery or sweepstake, which they can collect for a "fee".
• 
Home repair scam: Criminals appear in person and charge homeowners in 
advance for home improvement services that they never provide.
• 
TV / radio scam: Criminals target potential victims using illegitimate 
advertisements about legitimate services, such as reverse mortgages or credit 
repair.
• 
Family / caregiver scam: Relatives or acquaintances of the elderly victims take 
advantage of them or otherwise get their money.
This measure aims to protect our senior citizens against fraudulent activities 
through proactive and centralized information and education campaigns. Considering 
that most of the elderly consumers are unfamiliar with today's technology and the 
organized crime syndicates are taking advantage of the general public's heightened 
use of social media and virtual platforms, there is a need to look after the vulnerable 
sectors against scammers and fraudsters.
In light of the foregoing, the approval of this measure is highly recommended.
INGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA


i! r '
TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
S. No. 938
25 AUG -5 P4 :01
RLCaVtij GV;
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, SENIOR CITIZENS, THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR 
CAREGIVERS ON IDENTIFYING AND PREVENTING FRAUDULENT 
ACTIVITIES TARGETING SENIOR CITIZENS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assem bled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Senior Citizens' Fraud
2 
Education Act'.
3 
Sec. 2. Centralized Service for Consumer Education on Mail, Telemarketing, and
4 
Internet Fraud Targeting Senior Citizens. —
5 
(A) Requirement - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), after consultation
6 
with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health (DOH) and the
7 
Philippine Postal Corporation, shall:
8 
(1) periodically disseminate to senior citizens, and families and caregivers of
9 
senior citizens, general information on mail, telemarketing, and internet
10 
fraud targeting seniors, including descriptions of the most common fraud
11 
schemes;
12 
(2) periodically disseminate to senior citizens, and families and caregivers of
13 
seniors, information on methods available to report fraud targeting
14 
seniors, such as:


1 
(a) referring complaints to law enforcement agencies, including
2 
the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau
3 
of Investigation (NBI); and,
4 
(b) calling a telephone number established by the DTI for
5 
reporting mail, telemarketing and internet fraud.
6 
(3) in response to a specific request by a party to the DTI inquiring about
7 
any history of fraud committed by a particular entity or individual,
8 
provide to such party any publicly available information on any record of
9 
law enforcement action for fraud against such entity or individual by the
10 
DTI, and by any other agency that reports such actions to the DTI; and,
11 
(4) maintain a website to serve as a resource for information for senior
12 
citizens, and families and caregivers of senior citizens, regarding mail,
13 
telemarketing, and internet fraud targeting 
senior citizens.
14 
(B) Procedures and Commencement. - The DTI shall establish and implement
15 
procedures to carry out the requirements of paragraph (A), including
16 
procedures:
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(1) with respect to the frequency and mode of dissemination of information;
18 
and,
19 
(2) that provide for the implementation of the requirements of such
20 
paragraph not later than one (1) year after the date of the effectivity of
21 
this Act.
22 
Sec. 3. Coordination and Partnership with Government Agencies. - The DTI
23 
shall coordinate and establish partnerships with the National Commission of Senior
24 
Citizens and the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) of local government units in
25 
conducting information dissemination campaigns and in order to fully implement the
26 
provisions of this Act.
27 
The DTI shall also collaborate with the following government agencies:
28 
a) Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)-with respect to fraud and scams related
29 
to products and services of BSP-regulated financial institutions;
30 
b) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Insurance Commission -
31 
with respect to fraud and scams related to lending and investment
32 
instruments and insurance products; and


1 
c) National Telecommunications Commission - with respect to text scams and
2 
Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card fraud; and
3 
d) National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP) and
4 
Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) - for other
5 
fraudulent activities and cybercrimes.
6 
Sec. 4. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
7 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
8 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
9 
Sec. 5. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
10 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to or
11 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or amended
12 
accordingly.
13 
Sec. 6. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
14 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,