By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Monday ordered an intensified monitoring of fraudulent donation drives that have emerged in the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm Opong.
This is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and under the guidance of Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla to ensure that all relief efforts are safeguarded from exploitation, and assistance genuinely reaches affected families and communities.
Nartatez directed the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to keep an eye on social media platforms, websites, and e-wallet transactions to swiftly identify and apprehend scammers taking advantage of the public’s generosity.
“We strongly advise the public to verify before donating. Legitimate donation drives are usually organized by well-known organizations, government agencies, or accredited NGOs (non-governmental organization),” Nartatez said in a statement.
“Always check official announcements, verified social media pages, and official bank accounts. Be cautious of personal accounts soliciting donations, especially if details are vague or unverifiable.”
The PNP-ACG has launched nationwide operations to detect and shut down fake donation campaigns. The PNP is also rolling out an awareness campaign to help citizens distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent donation drives.
For those who may have fallen victim, Nartatez urged immediate reporting to the nearest police station or directly to the PNP-ACG.
Victims were advised to preserve proof such as receipts, screenshots, and online correspondence to aid investigations. Reports can also be filed through cybercrime hotlines, official PNP social media accounts, or by email.
“We encourage our kababayan to remain vigilant and discerning in choosing where to channel your generosity. Your donations should go to legitimate and verified organizations so that help truly reaches our kababayans affected by Opong. To those who take advantage of this tragedy for personal gain, let this be a warning: the PNP will find you, and you will face the full force of the law,” Nartatez said.
PNP-ACG chief Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang, in a press briefing at Camp Crame, meanwhile, cautioned the public against social media accounts that use the name of the ACG offering paid services to allegedly conduct an investigation on online scam cases.
Yang said they are monitoring four Facebook pages which were using his name and image as well as the PNP-ACG in scamming activities online.
“Sa pagkakaalam ko, pang apat na ito. Iyong una, malapit na mai-file yung kaso. Ito rin ay ginagamit yung aking pangalan para mang-scam. Sa ngayon mukha natin at yung iba’t ibang picture natin online ay most probably grinab nila at nag gawa sila ng Facebook page just to scam (As far as I know, there are four of them. We are close to filing a case. This is also the one using my name and photo as well as the ACG then created a Facebook page so that they can deceive people),” he said.
Yang said they have received a report that a victim has already paid PHP10,000 to one of the fake pages.
He also urged netizens to protect their accounts especially their Facebook profiles by locking their profiles to prevent identity theft.
Yang said they are already coordinating with online payment outlets, as well as with meta for the information regarding the transaction and personal information of the page administrator.
He said 278 core cybercrimes cases were reported from Sept. 1 to 25 this year, which is 29.62 percent lower than the 395 cases in the same period last year.
He added that cyber-related offenses also dropped 37.07 percent or 382 from Sept. 1 to 25 this year compared to 607 last year of the same period. A total of 68 individuals have been arrested so far since the start of September. (PNA)
