NBI: Cybercrimes on the rise

MANILA, Philippines - The number of cybercrimes reported in the country each week has increased by at least 25 percent compared to six years ago, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday.

NBI-Technical Intelligence Division chief Palmer Mallari said the number of complaints involving cybercrimes jumped from 144 cases in 2005 to 240 cases in 2010.

Mallari said it was only six years ago that they received around three cases a week but the number went up to five cases a week by 2010.

“This is already a significant increase because this is already like a 25-percent increase,” Mallari said. “There is a rise in the cases involving social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.”

Mallari said Filipinos ranked seventh in terms of the most number of Facebook account holders in the world.

Mallari said cybercriminals would open a Facebook account using another person’s name without the victim’s knowledge and consent. They can use the account to dupe money from Facebook friends or post malicious or defamatory messages.

He said criminals can also hack into an existing account and tamper with its contents.

Mallari said the offender can be charged with libel or violating the electronic commerce law, Republic Act 8792.

Aside from crimes involving social networking sites, Mallari said other forms of cybercrime are uploads of sex or voyeur videos and online shopping scams.

He said most of the videos were taken without the knowledge and consent of the victim, usually intended for blackmail or extortion “by a former boyfriend or a jilted suitor.”