Recently in the City of Las Piñas, local police officers apprehended two persons (both previously worked for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs) for selling fake money online, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from news report of the PNA Some parts in boldface…
Two former Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers were arrested for allegedly selling fake money online in Las Piñas City, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) said on Friday.
In a press conference held at Camp Crame in Quezon City, PNP ACG Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang said suspects alias “Usa,” 18, a resident of Cotabato City; and “Agila,” 30, of Zamboanga Del Sur were arrested by the Northern District Anti-Cybercrime Team, in coordination with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), in an entrapment operation in Barangay Manuyo Dos on Wednesday.
“’Yung dalawang nahuli natin, we can confirm that they are former employees of POGO. Ito ay mga driver ng ating POGO companies. They started selling these fake money nung nag-stop na sila sa POGO (These two we caught, we can confirm that they are former POGO employees … They were drivers of POGO companies. They started selling this fake money when POGOs were shut down),” Yang said.
He said the suspects mainly operated in Metro Manila, according to reports.
In November last year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order 74, ordering the immediate ban of the Philippine offshore gaming, internet gaming and other offshore gaming operations.
The entrapment operation stemmed from a report by the BSP regarding the rampant online sale of fake currency.
In response, the Northern District Anti-Cybercrime Team intensified its cyber patrolling efforts until they came across a social media post by one of the suspects offering a counterfeit PHP1,000 bill for sale at PHP150.
A total of 150 counterfeit thousand-peso bills were confiscated from the suspects, who sold them for PHP22,500 during the operation.
“May online group talaga na nagbebenta. Several groups ito. So, sinumbong namin ito sa ACG (There really are online groups where they sell these. There are several groups. So, we reported this to the ACG),” BPS Payments and Currency Investigation Group officer Mark Fajardo said at the press conference.
“Hindi maganda. Medyo apurahan ang pagkakagawa kasi hindi sila sanay (It’s not good. How it was done seems sloppy because they were not experienced),” Fajardo told reporters when asked about the quality of the counterfeit money confiscated
He said they are able to tell the fake banknotes apart because the watermark on them was more apparent and the security thread was only printed.
When asked whether the police have already determined who had supplied the fake banknotes, Yang said they are looking into a bigger figure.
The suspects are detained at the ACG custodial facility and will be facing charges for violation of Article 168 (Illegal Possession and Use of False Treasury or Bank Notes and Other Instruments of Credit) in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Yang said the operation aligns with the directive of PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III to intensify cyber patrolling and implement immediate action to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting social media platforms.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Are you concerned that the selling of fake money could grow into a serious problem within the city?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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