The Philippine National Police (PNP) today warned the public about the fake Facebook account bearing the name of its chief Camilo Cascolan, which they said was created as part of “an elaborate internet-based scam.”
In a statement, the PNP said that they have already identified the owners of the fake Cascolan page and have reported the matter to Facebook due to its “flagrant terms of use violations, particularly to facilitate criminal activity.” The police force is currently building its case against the perpetrators who have allegedly violated the Philippines’ cybercrime laws. The suspects will be arrested as soon as the police obtain a warrant.
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Cascolan learned about the fake account when a Cabanatuan City cop was almost victimized by the owners of the Facebook page, which asked the latter to send PHP10,000 (US$206) in exchange for reassignment within the police force. Cascolan owns just one personal Facebook account and one Facebook page.
PNP Spokesperson Colonel Ysmael Yu warned the public against this con scheme.
“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,” Yu said.
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As of Sept. 17, the PNP has recorded a total of 113 cybercrime-related cases, leading to the arrest of 27 people and the filing of charges against 76 suspects. Traditional crimes have gone down due to the community quarantine, the PNP said, and it expects that cybercrime will increase in its place instead.
