Police Staff Sergeant Ronelle Jay Ocariza, assistant investigator of the Anti-Cybercrime Unit in Central Visayas
CEBU CITY, Philippines –- Cybercrimes remain to be a major concern for the Central Visayas Anti-Cybercrime Unit, authorities say.
The internet is today’s most democratic place, which allows the formation of a new field in gaining both good purposes and wicked schemes.
In a press briefing, Police Staff Sergeant Ronelle Jay Ocariza, assistant investigator of the Anti-Cybercrime Unit in Central Visayas, said online scams, identity theft, and cyber libel are the three most common cybercrimes reported in Cebu.
The organization receives around 30-50 of the above crimes per month.
Ocariza also noted that these crimes peak during the BER-months.
“Rampant kay ning ma hack ang FaceBook (FB) account unya gamiton ang maong account to make scenarios and make it appear na manginahanglan kag kwarta. Since na hack na siya mu converse ug laing taw (ang hacker) gamiton imo identity mao makapada ug kwarta…Not knowing na ang biktima was conversing sa hacker,” Ocariza said.
Ocariza added that cybercrimes provide a significant problem to authorities, especially given the regulations that supposedly insulate regulators from securing personal information on bank and money transfer activities.
Ocariza assures the public, however, that the team will find a way to track down cyber-criminals.
“So far, ubay ubay napud tag na dakpan with the cooperation aning mga banko, Gcash kay we have other ways and means para mapa comply namo na sila para matagaan mis information sa mga perpetrators behind those involve Gcash accounts, bank accounts then we will focus our investigation from there and file charges,” he said.
He also stated that the Cyber-Crime Unit is firm about helping victims to file cases against the arrested culprits in order to teach the public that there are ways to deal with such crimes. They also want the public to know that authorities are serious about fighting these crimes.
Meanwhile, Ocariza encouraged the public to always verify the legality of online transactions to prevent being victimized by digital predators.
“Incase ma biktima mog ing ani, makabantay gae mo na mangayog kwarta please validate the information do not entrust it sa messenger you have other options to check. You can either call, or text to confirm,” said Ocariza. /rcg
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