Cybercrime – Page 3 – Author Carlo Carrasco

Known hacker arrested in Las Piñas City

January 20, 2024January 16, 2024carlocarrasco

Recently in the City of Las Piñas, local police officers arrested a man (who has an established history of hacking) for targeting foreigners online, according to a Philippine Star news report. The arrest happened in Barangay Talon Dos.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt the Philippine Star news report. Some parts in boldface…

A man previously dubbed “Asia’s best hacker” was arrested in Las Piñas for allegedly targeting foreigners in his illegal online activities, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said yesterday.

An NCRPO report obtained by The STAR showed that NCRPO operatives searched the house of Edgar Silvano Jr., 47, in Barangay Talon Dos at past 2 p.m. on Friday.

The operation was implemented on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Elizabeth Yu Guray of the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court Branch 202.

Recovered from Silvano were 11 cell phones, seven flash drives, five laptops, four SD cards, three Wi-Fi routers, two hard drives, a desktop and a modem.

Apart from these, police also confiscated several financial documents pertaining to land titles and vehicle purchases. These documents contain personal and bank account information belonging to other people, police said.

Silvano was charged with violating Republic Act 8484 or the Access Device Regulations Act of 2012.

He also faces charges of violating RA 10591, which penalizes the illegal possession of a firearm, after police found a 9mm pistol with nine bullets on his person.

According to the NCRPO, Silvano was called “Asia’s best hacker” in 2001 after he hacked an international banking system based in Hong Kong. He was imprisoned but was later released on probation.

Silvano was again arrested in 2016 by the National Bureau of Investigation for violation of RA 8484 and possession of illegal drugs.

The NCRPO said all recovered electronic devices will undergo data extraction and forensic examination.

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 there could be more hackers or cyber criminals who could be living within your local community?

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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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

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People who sold firecrackers online arrested by PNP

January 2, 2024December 28, 2023carlocarrasco

During the past Christmas season, varied elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) staged different operations that resulted in the arrests of people who engaged in the online selling of firecrackers, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has arrested five online firecracker sellers since Dec. 19 in separate entrapment operations, a police official said on Thursday.

In a statement, Col. Jay Guillermo, chief of the PNP-Anti-Cybercrime Group’s (ACG) Cyber Response Unit, said the entrapment operation stemmed from the directive of the PNP leadership to intensify its drive against the illegal manufacture and sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials.

“My personal take on this is that these can be used by criminals. They can buy firecrackers with a huge amount of gunpowder and if you combine them all, they can turn into explosives. There is a need to regulate the sale of these firecrackers so that we can monitor who buys them,” he said.

Guillermo said ACG operatives contacted online sellers for the purchase of firecrackers during the conduct of regular cyber patrol.

He identified the suspects as Jaymar Sandoval, 22, and Eugene Macasaet, 23, who were arrested in an entrapment operation at Barangay San Ramon in Dinalupihan, Bataan on Thursday morning.

Seized during the operation were two bundles of kwitis (rocket), one sawa 1,800 rounds firecracker, one box piccolo firecracker, and three bundles of five colors with the total amount of PHP5,300

At around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Victoria So, a female seller, met with the ACG undercover agent that resulted in her arrest in her house in Tondo, Manila.

Seized during the operation were a cellular phone, the marked money and 10 rims of prohibited firecrackers.

Two persons were recently arrested by ACG operatives in Caloocan City for selling firecrackers online.

Sabino Medenilla, 19, was arrested on Dec. 19, and Rodel Constantino, 39, was collared on Dec. 21. The suspects negotiated with ACG operatives posing as buyers of firecrackers.

Guillermo said the arrested suspects will be charged with violation of Republic Act No. 7183, or the “Act Regulating the Sale, Manufacture, Distribution, and Use of Firecrackers and Pyrotechnic Devices” in relation to Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

For this year, Guillermo said there were four police operations conducted that resulted in the arrest of 11 persons and seized PHP40,700 worth of firecrackers.

He discouraged the public from buying firecrackers sold online as this may endanger their lives.

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. called on local government units (LGUs) to strictly enforce ordinances banning the use of illegal firecrackers to minimize, if not totally eliminate injuries for the New Year revelry.

Based on DILG data, Abalos said at least 1,210 LGUs already have ordinances banning the use of harmful firecrackers in their respective localities.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think that it is indeed illegal to sell firecrackers online? Are you aware of your local government’s restrictions towards firecrackers?

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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Philippines crime rate falls down by more than 10% in first half of 2023

July 20, 2023July 17, 2023carlocarrasco

Based on the statistics released by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the national crime rate fell down by over 10% during the period of January-June 2023, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article. Take note that the statistics do not even country cyber crime.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The country’s crime rate has dropped by 10.14 percent in the first six months this year as compared to the same period in 2022, Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said there is continuing decline in peace and order indicators, particularly in index crime, from 20,765 in January to June 2022 down to 18,660 for the same period this year.

The eight focus crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, robbery, theft, vehicle theft, motorcycle theft and rape.

Index crimes are serious crimes such as murder, homicide, physical injury, robbery, rape, theft and carjacking, while non-index crimes are violations of local ordinances and laws and vehicular accidents.

Citing collated data across the country, Fajardo said carnapping of vehicles registered the highest decline with 28.90 percent or from 173 from January to June in 2022 to 123 this year.

This was followed by physical injury with 20.01 percent, or from 2,893 to 2,314; and rape with 18.19 percent, or from 5,025 to 4,111.

Theft also went down by 9.33 percent, or from 6,506 to 5,899; caranapping of motorcycles with 8.82 percent decline, or from 998 to 910; and, murder with 1.89 percent, or from 2,177 to 2,077.

Robbery, however, went up by 6.86 percent, or from 2,434 to 2,601; while homicide with 2.75 percent increase, or from 511 to 525.

The figures, however, do not include cybercrimes which were earlier reported to have increased by around 192 percent nationwide, and 152 percent in Metro Manila.

“We are now conducting a study to determine if these cybercrime-related activities could be included in our index crimes,” Fajardo told reporters in a press briefing held at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Based on the data released by the PNP-AntiCybercrime Group, a total of 4,104 SIM card-aided crimes were reported from January to June this year, compared to only 1,415 in the same period in 2022.

SIM card-aided crimes, according to PNP-ACG, include GCash-related transactions, text scams, bank frauds and fake news.

The PNP-ACG, however, noted that it solved almost all of the reported incidents.

Fajardo said a technical working group (TWG) was created to look into suggestions that cybercrime-related incidents must be included since they are both crimes against property and persons.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you feel safer knowing that the national crime rate fell down by over 10% during the first half of this year?

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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Another foreign fugitive found among those rescued in Las Piñas City raid

July 19, 2023July 17, 2023carlocarrasco

The developments related to the recent raid in Las Piñas City continues to be surprising as another foreign fugitive was identified among those who got rescued by the police, according to a GMA Network news report. Take note that previously there were other foreign fugitives uncovered.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the GMA news report. Some parts in boldface…

Another Chinese fugitive was identified among the rescued workers from the raid in a Las Piñas City establishment in June, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.

In a press briefing, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said the fugitive was identified as one of the “big bosses” of the company that was raided by authorities over suspected illegal activities.

“Noong in-apply natin ang search warrant ay identified na po siya as one of the bosses po ng Hong Tai company,” Fajardo said.

(When we applied for a search warrant, he was already identified as one of the bosses of Hong Tai company.)

“Noong nag-background check na po ang embassy ay nalaman po natin, nagbigay po sila ng document na may warrant of detention na rin pala ito at lumalabas po noong chineck, isa pala siya doon sa mga big bosses ng company,” she added.

(We learned about it when the embassy conducted a background check and it gave us a document showing this person already has a warrant of detention.)

Four Chinese and three Taiwanese fugitives were previously discovered among the rescued workers. They were turned over to the Bureau of Immigration on July 7 for deportation.

On June 26, authorities implemented a search warrant in a compound in Las Piñas over an alleged human trafficking situation.

The police reported that 1,534 Filipinos and 1,190 foreigners were rescued from the raid.

According to Fajardo, authorities also discovered two minors — an Indonesian and a Malaysian — among the rescued workers.

On June 30, five Chinese suspects identified as Li Jiacheng, alias Li Jiachang, Xiao Liu, alias Xiao Lin, Yan Jiayong, alias Pan Wen Jie, Duan Haozhuan, and LP Hongkun, alias Li Yang, underwent inquest proceedings at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

But according to DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the five Chinese were ordered to be released due to lack of evidence.

Remulla slammed the PNP’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG), which spearheaded the raid, for supposedly failing to coordinate with the DOJ before conducting the raid.

The suspects’ lawyer, Atty. Christian Vargas, said the five Chinese nationals are still under police custody despite a release order from the DOJ.

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 feeling concerned that there could be even more foreign fugitives among the many employees of the raided POGO?

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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Foreign fugitives among those rescued during the June 26 Las Piñas City raid

July 6, 2023July 5, 2023carlocarrasco

In the city of Las Piñas, controversy regarding the raid of June 26 continues to grow as it was revealed by the local authorities that there were foreign fugitives among the thousands that supposedly got rescued, according to a GMA Network news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the GMA news report. Some parts in boldface…

Police found two Taiwanese fugitives among the rescued workers from the raid in a Las Piñas City establishment recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) – Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) said Monday.

Aside from them, the PNP earlier reported that four Chinese fugitives were also discovered from the thousands of workers rescued from the raid.

“During the June 26, 2023 police operation, where thousands of individuals were rescued, four Chinese and two Taiwanese fugitives were discovered,” the ACG said in a statement.

The ACG said the six fugitives have been identified through the help of concerned foreign embassies in the documentation of their respective citizens and cross-matching of their records.

Authorities implemented a search warrant in a compound in Las Piñas over an alleged human trafficking situation.

The police reported that 1,534 Filipinos and 1,190 foreigners were rescued from the raid. According to PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo, there were 17 foreign nationalities involved.

While over a thousand Filipino workers were safely released and allowed to return to their homes, the foreign nationals have not been released yet as the documentation of the remaining workers is still ongoing, according to Fajardo.

“Law enforcement authorities have gathered personal information for the remaining one thousand-plus foreign nationals, who will be turned over to the Bureau of Immigration for proper disposition and repatriation process,” the ACG said.

On June 30, five Chinese suspects were subjected to inquest proceedings at the Department of Justice in Manila for violation of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022 and Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Meanwhile, the company that was raided, Xinchuang Network Technology, has denied that it is involved in human trafficking.

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? Do you think the police raid of June 26 has been justified?

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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Online lending company raided by police for threatening clients

May 22, 2023May 17, 2023carlocarrasco

Are you a Philippine resident who borrowed money from an online lending company and got threatened by them to push you into paying them back? Another company that lends money got raided by the police over complaints from clients who claimed they were threatened, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. The raided company was located in Pasig City.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news article. Some parts in boldface…

An online lending company in Barangay San Miguel, Pasig City was raided by operatives of the Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) on Tuesday, May 16, for allegedly threatening and harassing its customers who have failed to pay their loans.

The company was identified as Realm Shifters Business Process Outsourcing Services, located along Mercedes Avenue in Barangay San Miguel.

According to the Philippine Association of Loan Shark Victims Inc. (PALSVI), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping loan shark victims, the company is one of the many businesses operating online lending applications (OLA) that harass and threaten users for not paying their debts.

The PNP-ACG conducted the raid in response to the complaints made to their office from the victims of the OLA.

A warrant to search and seize computer data was served by the police to the company during the operation.

Digital forensic examinations to extract data and evidence from the computers, mobile phones, and other devices of the OLA agents are ongoing.

Other incidents of malpractice made by the company are also under further investigation by the police.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? How many people in your local community got harassed by an online lending firm recently?

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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Gamer arrested by PNP Anti-Cybercrime team

October 10, 2022October 7, 2022carlocarrasco

There is a need for us to behave ourselves and watch out backs not only in the real world but also online. I say this because the Philippine News Agency (PNA) recently reported the news of a gamer who got arrested by the Anti-Cybercrime team of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for violating key parts of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The arrest happened in Quezon City.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news report. Some parts in boldface…

A man was arrested for sexually exploiting a 14-year-old girl whom he met while playing an online game, the Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) reported on Friday.

In a statement, ACG chief Brig. Gen. Joel Doria said 35-year-old suspect Estelito Gibaga Jr. was nabbed by members of the Quezon City District Anti-Cybercrime Team (QCDACT) inside a motel located at West Point Street, E. Rodriguez Avenue on Thursday.

Based on the report submitted by QCDACT officer in charge Lt. Michael Bernardo, Gibaga met the victim, a Grade 9 student, in a public chat of an online game where both of them were players.

After a series of conversations, they shifted the conversation to “Snap Chat” and Facebook Messenger wherein they subsequently had a “virtual” romantic relationship.

During this time, the suspect allegedly sent the victim obscene photos of “himself” and asked the victim to do the same.

Bernardo said on September 6, the mother of the victim saw her daughter chatting with the suspect in the middle of the night.

When she saw the exchange of conversations between the two, she was shocked and confronted her daughter. This was when the minor admitted to her that she is being lured by the suspect into doing obscene things.

Bernardo said on September 16, the victim and her mother appeared at the office of QCDACT to lodge a complaint against the suspect, which resulted in the planning of an entrapment operation to catch him.

On Thursday, the mother and the victim reported back to QCDACT and informed the office that the suspect and the minor would meet up to watch a movie at a mall.

This prompted the Anti-Cybercrime Team to prepare an entrapment operation.

“When the suspect and the victim met at the Gateway entrance, they went to McDonald’s to take out snacks and headed to Guess Hotel. After entering the room, we lost no time in apprehending the suspect,” Bernardo said.

Doria, meanwhile, advised parents to keep a tight watch on the online activities of their children.

“Sexual predators are everywhere, even on online games,” he said.

The above article ended stating that the suspect will be charged for violating the following provisions of Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012: Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, and Article 286 (Grave Coercion).

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? Are you convinced that there are a lot of sexual predators and undesirable elements among the many users of the Internet and social media?

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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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others as well as making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Over 40 employees of online lending applications arrested over alleged harassment of clients and contact persons

February 16, 2022February 14, 2022carlocarrasco

Here in the Philippines, have you been harassed or threatened by people who are working for online lending applications where you borrowed money from? I had to ask that question because it was revealed that more than forty online lending app employees (including a foreigner from China) were arrested for allegedly harassing and threatening clients who could not pay back their loans in time, according to a GMA Network news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the GMA News report. Some parts in boldface…

Over 45 workers of online lending applications, including a Chinese national, were arrested for supposedly harassing and threatening clients unable to pay their loans within the prescribed period.

According to Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group Public Information Officer Police Lieutenant Michelle Sabino, the division had received several harassment complaints against lending apps that were being run by the Cashtree Lending Corp.

The terms and conditions of the applications allegedly contained a clause that granted the firm access to clients’ contacts – a requirement for taking out a loan. Once approved by the borrower, the firm is then said to save the contacts into its database.

“Hina-harass nila ‘yung mga relatives, kasi nga stated eh, ‘di ba nga like ‘yung contact numbers mo nandon… so if you do not pay out, ‘ire-rape namin ’to, papatayin namin,’ and all other threats na posible, ‘yun ang ginagawa nila,” she said in a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

(They harass the relatives, as there was a clause regarding contacts… So if you do not pay, they threaten to rape, kill, and all other possible threats. That is what they do.)

The application targets mainly low-income households and those unemployed, even if it was found to have no certificate of authority or permit to operate.

The company’s loans were also said to have high interest rates, and they get in touch with the borrower’s contacts once payment is not made within eight days.

Collecting agents have also been reported to encourage borrowers to make other loans with different loan applications for them to make a repayment.

“Minsan merong mga dumadating sa kanila na sasabihin ng collecting agent na ‘Okay, para makasambot ka, para makabayad ka, magdownload ka ng itong loan app nito, would also offer, so para maka-payoff ka dito sa isa, mag-uutang ka na naman which in turn nabaon na nang nabaon si victim,” she said.

(Sometimes the collecting agents would tell the borrower that for them to be able to pay, they should download another loan app. So for them to pay off their debt in one application, they would borrow again leaving them buried in debt.)

For his part, one of the suspects, Shihai Dao, said the firm did not encourage any harassment.

“Never do anything illegal in Philippines, so I’m confused… Never allowed to employ to harass the client to pay the money back. Just reminding them and tell them to pay (sic),” he said in the same report.

The firm would face charges for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2021.

“Do not download ‘tong mga lending apps na ‘to, ‘tong mga loan apps. May tendency na ma-threaten pa ‘yung life mo or i-harass, at ang problema, hindi lang ikaw, lahat ng contact mo,” Sabino said.

(Do not download these lending and loan apps. There is a tendency that your life will be threatened or be harassed. The problem is it will not be just you but all your contacts.)

Authorities from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) earlier warned firms against unfair debt collection practices.

Such practices included sending violent threats, using harsh words, disclosing the name and other personal information of the borrower in public, and messaging or calling the people on the contact list of the borrower without his/her consent.

The above report ended stating that lending firms who are guilty of doing the above-mentioned practices may be fined between P25,000 to as much as P1,000,000 and also have their certificate of authority to operate revoked.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent news report? Do you know anyone who got harassed or threatened by people because they are unable to pay back their loans in due time? Have you been seriously considering borrowing money through these online lending apps? Does this recent news development discourage you from taking loans through online lending apps? Do you believe that the immigration officials should do something about foreign workers of online lending apps who got involved with the harassment of clients?

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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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/

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