MANILA – The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Friday warned the public against a rise in unauthorized prescription drugs being sold in online marketplaces and advertised to the public using artificial intelligence (AI).
In a statement, CICC Undersecretary Renato Paraiso said scammers are weaponizing AI and paying for social media advertisements to give fraudulent products “a veneer of legitimacy.”
“Scammers are always evolving. They take advantage of sponsored ads, AI-generated content, and the speed of online transactions. At present, social media and digital platforms still face limitations in regulating these effectively,” Paraiso said.
These fraudulent products often promote miracle cures at low prices, such as a brand of slimming pills that allegedly contains a dangerous methamphetamine mixture.
He advised the public to stay “two steps ahead” of such scams by only purchasing health products from legitimate and licensed sellers.
“Be skeptical of sweeping health claims or ads that ask for excessive personal data. Trust your gut—if a deal seems too good to be true —especially concerning your health— it likely is,” he said.
Paraiso called on the public to report suspicious products or fraudulent online listings to the Inter-Agency Response Center (I-ARC) hotline 1326 or message the CICC’s official social media pages.
The CICC’s actions are in response to a hearing by the Senate Committee on Health and Demography with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the availability of dangerous drugs, such as the amphetamine-laced Hokkaido pills, online.
In addition to warning the public, the CICC proposed the creation of a national database of legitimate and illegitimate products that would facilitate the immediate removal of high-risk listings. (By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz/PNA)