THE Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) reminds the public to be extra vigilant against scammers who offer fake jobs in the internet.
Seven cybercrime suspects were busted by authorities after allegedly being involved in offering employment that eventually turned into a hoax.
“This kind of modus continues to prey on innocent individuals who are seeking better opportunities but find themselves trapped in this illegal money-making scheme. We call on the public to take caution and check with the appropriate government agencies to verify the legitimacy of these so-called employers,” PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said.
The arrested persons were: Kimberly Santillan, 43; Rosalie Verceles, 53; Lailani Bregoli, 25; Mary Jane Cuevas, 24; Zenaida Navarro, 47; Mary Jane Reyes, 46; Simone Louise Austria, 21.
According to complaints, the suspects copied and created a Facebook Page of an Employment Agency in an attempt to scam and defraud possible victims.
They posted the disguised account across Group Chats offering job opportunities.
The victims who inquired about job offers were asked by the suspects to report physically to their office for job interviews where they were prohibited to talk to each other or even use their mobile phones.
Applicants were then asked to answer an application form and pay P300.00 processing fee and P1300 for medical fees.
Azurin lauds the efforts of the PNP-ACG personnel for quickly responding to this concern and bringing justice to the victims of such unfortunate incident.
The suspects will be facing criminal charges for Violations of Section 4 b(3) Computer Related Identity Theft, Art 315 Swindling/ Estafa of the RPC and Presidential Decree 442 Article 13 of Labor Code of the Philippines all in relation to Section 6 of RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act).
