MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group on Thursday cautioned anew the public, especially the elderly, from falling to fraudulent phone calls from those pretending to be bank employees.
The ACG issued the warning after nine suspects allegedly engaged in ‘vishing’ (voice phishing) scams and target bank depositors were arrested in Cavite province on Wednesday night.
ACG chief Brig. Gen. Ronnie Cariaga said the arrest was made during the service of warrants to search, seize and examine computer data (WSSECD) against April Joy Espino, 34, for violation of Section 4 (b) (2) or Computer-related Fraud under Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
“In telephone calls, these individuals pretended to be bank employees, deceitfully obtaining money from the victims’ bank accounts,” Cariaga said in a statement.
He said the arrest was carried out after an eight-month investigation, case build-up, and surveillance on the suspects which stemmed from complaints from dozens of victims.
Seized during the operation were registered SIM cards, information and communication technology (ICT) devices, bank documents, and scripts used when calling the victims.
Among the bank documents were assorted bank accounts and credit card account records containing various personal information.
Cariaga has called for the cooperation of financial institutions in the investigation to strengthen the evidence, prepare for filing the case, and expedite the process.
“The PNP ACG will also reach out to the victims identified in the gathered evidence to assist them in filing a complaint,” he said.
In a press briefing at Camp Crame, ACG Cyber Response Unit chief Col. Jay Guillermo said the suspects siphoned millions from the accounts of their victims.
“So roughly nasa P40 million na yang nakuha nila (They got roughly P40 million) from the time we investigate from November up to now,” Guillermo said.
He said the scheme’s turnout is alarming as some retired employees, including court judges, were defrauded of their hard-earned pension.
He also reminded bank depositors not to share their one-time PIN (OTP) to anyone.