Facebook disables three accounts posing as PNP chief
MANILA, Philippines — Social networking giant Facebook recently took down three poser accounts allegedly posing as Police Gen. Camilo Cascolan, the chief of the Philippine National Police, the agency disclosed Sunday.
In a statement, the PNP said that police cybercrime investigators traced the accounts in question to several existing cases of online swindling and estafa, including solicitation of funds from unsuspecting victims under the guise of social welfare and humanitarian projects.
“We welcome well-meaning messages and posts on social media that assist us in reaching out to the public, but we will not allow the name of the PNP and its officials to be misused for shady activities,” Police Col. Ysmael Yu, PNP spokesperson, said in an earlier statement in late September.
Police Brig. Gen Marvin Pepino, who sits PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group director, said that three Facebook accounts have been identified under the account names: "Camilo Pancratius Pikoy Cascolan", "Camilo P Cascolan", "Camilo Cascolan", all misrepresenting the page as owned by the Chief PNP.
In its statement, the PNP-ACG said it had already initiated investigation and case build-up on the activities of the bogus account owners and requested Facebook to take the pages down. Pepino also disclosed that four persons of interest have been sent subpoenas to appear before regional field units of the PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in relation to the accounts.
“These fake accounts have been active in social networks enticing Facebook users to donate funds purportedly to purchase computer tablets for students in urban poor communities for online classes," Pepino said.
"Those behind these fake Facebook accounts may face criminal charges for violation of Sec. 4 (b) 3 of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, for identity theft; and Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code for Swindling or Estafa (Online Scam)", he added.
According to Pepino, the PNP-ACG "promptly received a communication from Facebook’s Law Enforcement Outreach Manager, Rob Abrams, confirming that Facebook has disabled all three accounts," it said.
READ: PNP disavows accounts Facebook took down for 'coordinated inauthentic behavior'
According to Cascolan in an earlier statement, one police officer in Cabanatuan City who was related to a "close friend" was almost duped into sending P10,000 via money transfer in exchange for a reassignment to a preferred post.
This comes as the PNP also rejected what it said was the "unauthorized opinion" of Facebook after the latter took down a network of pro-government accounts for "coordinated inauthentic behavior" that it linked to the Philippine police and military.
The Department of Interior and Local Government, under which the PNP is an attached bureau, also went as far as slamming the social media platform for its "bias" after the latter took down fake pro-government accounts but left accounts critical of the Duterte administration untouched.
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