LnB Cebu City warns vs online scammers using the names of brgy officials

| Photo form LnB Cebu City

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Scam alert!

The Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) in Cebu City is asking Cebuanos to be cautious with their online transactions.

LnB Cebu City issued the warning after at least four of the city’s 80 barangay captains raised concerns against “online scammers” who are using their names.

In a statement posted on its social media page, LnB-Cebu City,  under the leadership of Councilor Franklyn Ong, said they “received reports that online scammers are pretending to be one of our barangay captains.”

Scammers, according to LnB Cebu City, have been using the names of the barangays captains of Guadalupe, Labangon, Pung-ol Sibugay, and Banilad, among others, in an attempt to earn cash.

“They have been asking for money to be sent via GCash, pretending that this money will be used as a payment to the barangay’s supplier,” LnB Cebu City’s advisory reads.

“Please know that the concerned Punong Barangays do not know these people and they are not in any way authorized by the barangay officials to transact on their behalf,” it added.

| Photo from LnB Cebu City

In a social media post, Barangay Captains Vic Buendia (Labangon) and Jerson Cadampog (Pung-ol Sibugay) warned their constituents against persons using their names to cash in from their supposed mobile wallets to pay for their purchase of barangay supplies.

Cadampog said he already has the IP address of the person who created a fake account using his name and he plans to share this information with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) if the fake account is not deleted.

| Photo from LnB Cebu City

On January 30, former Banilad barangay captain Malou Tabar also shared on social media screenshots of the messages, wherein an online scammer pretending to be her husband and now barangay captain Dennis Tabar were sent to one of their constituents.

The screenshot would show Dennis asking for help to cash in money from a digital wallet which their barangay would use to pay for the purchase of groceries that they would later on distribute to their constituents.

Malou said her husband does not even know how to use a digital wallet.

“Naa’y daghan nanawag ug ni message karon nangutana kung naa ba’y bag-o nga account si Dennes Tabar. Palihug ayaw tubayi kay Clara kaayo ang pattern. Gcash dayon ang message. Dili gani tan ni kahibaw mu Cash. Please help ug report,. Malou’s post reads.

| Photo from LnB Cebu City

Ramielle Gacasan, son of Guadalupe Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan, also shared a similar post that used his father’s name.

This time, cash in worth P15,000 will be used to pay for the delivery of cement and trapal.

LnB Cebu City is asking Cebuanos to help them monitor the activities of online scammers as they also continue to campaign against COVID-19.

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