Nine months since the coronavirus pandemic hit earth like the proverbial giant meteorite, a virtual world has opened up for us. Webinars, podcasts, streaming movies, tutorials, family reunions, exercise videos, Broadway shows, awards shows, online learning, virtual international travel -- they're all ours for the taking (or watching/listening). Zoom has even become a household word.

(Speaking of webinars, in case you missed Positively Filipino's very enlightening conversation with ace journalists Sheila Coronel and Ging Reyes, "Shutdown For a Shakedown? Behind the Attempts to Muzzle Press Freedom and ABS-CBN," you can watch it here.)

Unfortunately the online world also has its share of trolls and criminals, preying on the naive, the seniors (who are not as tech savvy) and the emotionally vulnerable. True these scammers have been around pre-covid but presumably they are more active now that people are staying home and relying only on their electronic devices to maintain their contact with the rest of the world. And then there's the loneliness factor.

Pre-pandemic, romance scams (the type with the highest recorded occurence) lost its victims in the US $143 million in 2018 alone, with an average per-victim loss of $2,600.

PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco writes about her friend's brush with a romance scammer, truly a cautionary tale for potential sweet-talk victims. If you or someone you know is being scammed, there are web sites (such as https://www.usa.gov/stop-scams-frauds) for reporting them. Just make sure you do a background check on the site you choose lest it might be another scam.

Stories this Week:

[Webinar] Shut Down For A Shakedown? Behind The Attempts To Muzzle Press Freedom And ABS-CBN

Looking For Love In All The Wrong URLs By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Dishes You’d Like To Cook And Eat In Self-Quarantine By Jennifer Fergesen

Jason Tanamor And His Aswang By Walter Ang

Amba Girly: Spirit Of The Corps By Marisa S. Roque

The Happy Home Cook: Blond Biko By Chef Nouel Omamalin

Video of the Week: The Voice Kids UK winner Justine Afante

In The Know

WATCH: Why all Filipinos are considered indigenous
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/life/10/27/16/watch-why-all-filipinos-are-considered-indigenous?fbclid=IwAR2jwrF9GGtzeG-sO2u6uuZZ0aNPZdsYLjfQC6RuDNNn0AdTBEjeT3LPJhI

Philippine human rights workers are being systematically killed in a growing war on dissent
https://news.yahoo.com/philippine-human-rights-workers-being-184122085.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

25 years after: Amy Besa & Romy Dorotan on the pains and glory of being New York restaurateurs