The Philippine National Police
(PNP), in close coordination with GCash, has recently arrested a suspect who
was using his online selling business to gain access to a victim’s private
photos or videos for ‘sextortion’, an act of extorting money by threatening to
expose sensitive materials.
The PNP identified the suspect as
Ronald Hipol, 54, an online seller from Victoria Homes, Brgy. Tunasan,
Muntinlupa. Hipol used a social media account under the name ‘Jerry Kantar’ to
threaten the victim that he would
circulate her sensitive videos unless she paid him P10,000. Hipol also managed
to infiltrate the social media account
of the victim’s father-in-law, to whom he sent the same threatening messages.
Unfortunately for the suspect, the
victim’s husband is a police officer who immediately coordinated with his
fellow law enforcers and GCash to track him down by luring him into receiving
his money via e-wallet which led to the hunt down and arrest Hipol.
With millions of users and the end
goal of financial inclusion, Gcash prioritizes the online safety of its users.
While the country’s No. 1 finance super app continues to cooperate with law
enforcement authorities against scammers and fraudsters, it also promotes
public awareness of these cybercriminal activities so that users know how to
avoid them. GCash is in close coordination with the Philippine National Police
(PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Cybercrime
Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).
GCash is also urging its users to
be extra vigilant of online scammers and fraudsters. When making transactions
on the app, users are reminded never to disclose their MPIN or OTP. With the
rise in phishing incidents, users are strongly advised never to click links,
especially from unknown senders.
For help and assistance, contact
the PNP-ACG via their hotlines at (02) 8414-1560, 0998-598-8116, or via email
at acg@pnp.gov.ph
To report scams and fraudulent
activities, visit the official GCash Help Center at help.gcash.com/hc/en-us or
message Gigi on the website and type, “I want to report a scam.” GCash will
never send private messages to ask for personal information, especially the
MPIN and One-Time Pin (OTP). Customers can also reach out to the official GCash
hotline at 2882 for queries and other concerns.
