PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Police General Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar cautioned the public on Sunday, October 31, against the so-called “love scam” being done through social media platforms.
Eleazar issued the warning following the arrest of two Nigerians who were allegedly involved in this kind of activity.
The suspects, Felix Aondowase and Emmanuel Abia, were accused of extorting thousands of pesos from a certain businesswoman.
They allegedly pretended to be Australian nationals so they could lure the woman, who was made to send some private photos.
The suspects then used the photos to blackmail the victim into sending US$8,000 to their Filipino contacts in Cavite.
Eleazar said the public should be extra vigilant and careful on whom they are talking to in various social media sites.
“This is not the first time that we encountered and arrested Nigerians using this modus. That is why I already ordered our ACG (Anti-Cybercrime Group) and CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) to help each other to bust this syndicate,” he said.
“Laganap ang mga tinatawag na ‘love scammers’ sa iba’t-ibang social media platforms, kaya I would advise our kababayan to be cautious of persons they connect with online. The anonymity offered by the internet makes it a playground for scammers, particularly at this time of pandemic when most of us are spending longer hours online,” he added.
The alleged Filipino cohorts of the Nigerians were also nabbed by authorities during an entrapment operation. The foreign suspects, meanwhile, denied the accusations against them.
Eleazar urged the public who were victimized by this kind of activity to report the incident to authorities.
“Hindi karupukan at kahangalan ang umibig dahil papasok at papasok ito sa puso nating lahat. Ang kailangan lamang ay ang ibayong pag-iingat, lalo na kung malaking pera na ang pinag-uusapan, upang hindi ito mauwi sa lokohan at matinding iyakan,” he said. (PR)