Kyline Alcantara recalls ‘expensive’ lesson from online scam

Kyline Alcantara had her own painful brush with cybercrime even before becoming part of “Taskforce Firewall.”

The Kapuso star is one of the cast members of the GMA primetime action-drama series that tackles crimes committed through the internet.

When asked by The STAR if she had ever experienced being targeted and falling victim to a cybercrime, she revealed that she was once scammed after receiving a message with a suspicious link.

“Yung na-scam ako at nabawasan ’yung pera ko sa bank. May nag-text, then there was a link,” she recalled the phishing incident.

Kyline said she could no longer remember if the link came through text or e-mail, but she remembered clicking it and being redirected to another website.

“I clicked it. I don’t know, I can’t remember, (if it was like) an e-mail or whatever, but I clicked it, tapos ibang napunta siya sa ibang website,” she said.

What made the experience harder, according to Kyline, was that she did not notice the missing money right away because she was not in the habit of regularly checking her bank account.

“Mahirap na po kasing mabawi eh. Lalo na sa akin, I don’t really check… Mali po ata ’yung nagawa ko, I don’t really check physical, ’yung account or whatever. So, napansin ko na po siya maybe after like a week or two na nawawala,” she said.

“It was an expensive lesson,” she added.

Kyline is pictured with co-stars Miguel Tanfelix (left) and Jak Roberto during a set visit. The actress plays Callie Sandoval, the taskforce’s ‘financial brain,’ while Miguel is Galo Villareal, a former soldier now handling cybercrime cases, and Jak is Hex Silverio, a survivor- turned-hacker.

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According to Kyline, such experience makes the message of “Taskforce Firewall” more relevant, especially at a time when people’s lives are increasingly tied to their phones and online accounts.

“I mean, lahat, ang buong mundo natin ay nasa cellphone na po eh. Napakalaking parte na siya ng buhay natin,” she said.

“And it’s so up-to-date to our generation right now, so sana kahit papaano po dito po sa aming show, may matutunan po tayo kung paano i-handle, kung paano makaiwas, at kung paano malaman kung scam or isang cybercrime na pala ang ating dini-deal.”

Kyline also weighed in on concerns about artificial intelligence and deepfakes, particularly in relation to how technology can be used to create fake identities. But when the discussion touched on fears that AI could someday replace actors, Kyline expressed, “Hindi tayo mapapalitan. Alam mo kung bakit? Kasi meron tayo na nawala ang AI. Puso,” she mused. “Kasi tayo ay may puso.”

Despite being part of a show about internet-related crimes, Kyline said she is not someone who is eternally glued to her phone.

Asked what she would do if the internet were to shut down indefinitely, she would most likely be spending time with friends.

“I will enjoy talking to my friends,” she said. “Kasi ako talaga, I don’t really use my phone that much. I do use my phone, but when it comes to social events, hindi talaga ako nagfo-phone. So, ngayon na wala silang Wi-Fi, social media, i-enjoy ko ’yung time na ’yun na kausapin sila. Kasi ma-tsika talaga ako.”

As for cyberbullying and online hate, she lamented how anyone can easily be targeted or be vulnerable to it, whether they are a celebrity, artista or not.

Kylie believes though that stopping or reining in online hate begins with empathy.

“Maybe if we show empathy towards each other, if we show more grace sa isa’t isa, if we show more understanding sa isa’t isa (it can happen),” she said.

In her case, she tries to look at the bigger picture before giving an opinion or leaving a comment, including whether her words could hurt someone or whether a person’s actions may be coming from personal pain or struggle.

As for protecting her mental health from anonymous bashers, Kyline said it’s easy to tell people not to listen, but much harder to practice in real life.

“May iba talaga na hindi talaga nila alam kung paano i-process. Kahit ako minsan hindi ko alam,” she said, readily admitting that she isn’t totally immune to online negativity despite being in the industry since she was a kid.

“It’s so hard na sabihin na parang, ‘Oh, just stop, just don’t listen.’ Mahirap din siyang i-practice eh. Kasi ako until now, naaapektuhan pa rin ako. Ngayon na parang years, 16 years na ako sa industry, naaapektuhan pa rin ako, ’di ba? So, it’s hard,” she said.

Her way of coping though, she added, is to remind herself that anonymous comments don’t define who she is.

“Especially online na hindi naman talaga nila ako kilala. Anonymous haters, parang, ‘Oh, okay, ’yung opinion mo, it doesn’t matter to me,’” she said.

“The opinions that matter to me are those of the people who truly know me and whom I’ve personally interacted with.”