Following the cooperation agreement between the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and GCash, seven individuals in Quezon City were apprehended for defrauding GCash customers.
Inquest proceedings followed the arrest at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office on charges of violating Republic Act 8484, or the Access Devices Regulation Law, in relation to RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, and RA 11934, also known as the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Law.
“This is a strong testament to our partnership in action. We congratulate the NBI on the successful arrest of the sellers, users, and maintainers of mule accounts. This is a win for us all as we continue to work towards our mission to protect the Filipino people and their hard-earned money,” G-Xchange president and CEO Ren-ren Reyes said.
NBI director Medardo De Lemos said during the recent MOA signing held between both parties that the nature of crimes is also changing as the world becomes dependent on technology.
“Before, we called ourselves traditional investigators. Now, to face the challenge, we have to reinvent ourselves to face cybercriminals. As more and more Filipinos embrace the digital space for their daily transactions and investments, it’s critical for law enforcement agencies to have an active partner like GCash with whom we exchange technical knowledge and expertise on the latest cybersecurity measures. This partnership is a big milestone in our shared fight against scammers, fraudsters, and other cybercriminals,” De Lemos said.
From January 2022 to 2023, GCash and NBI blocked over four million accounts involved in fraudulent activities on the app and arrested top fraudsters who have been victimizing customers through fake social media pages and digital storefronts.
GCash said it continues to strengthen its collaboration with NBI to further intensify the campaign against scammers and fraudsters, and ultimately apprehend scammers who victimize its users.
“We are committed to protecting the information of our customers. Alongside this, GCash remains committed to safeguarding the information of its customers in accordance with global privacy and security standards,” the company said.
“GCash also continues to remind and urge its users to be extra vigilant when making transactions online. Likewise, GCash advises Filipinos to never interact with someone online without verifying the person’s identity and to never share personal details such as banking details, and any other sensitive and personal information to avoid getting scammed online.”
