About 45 Filipinos and a Chinese national allegedly involved in an online money lending scam were apprehended by operatives of the Philippine National Police - Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) in Barangay San Antonio, Pasig City on Saturday, Feb. 12.
The PNP-ACG identified one of the suspects as Shihai Diao, a Chinese national who is believed to be the owner of the online lending application allegedly used in the scam.
In an interview with GMA news, Pol. Lt. Michelle Sabino of the PNP-ACG said they received complaints relating to online lending schemes for two years, wherein victims and their families were harassed and threatened if they were unable to pay their loans within eight days.
Sabino said the involved online lending applications first asked for the user’s permission to access their contact list before the loan was approved as part of its terms and conditions.
If the individual accepted these terms, the contact numbers in their phone were gathered and saved by the application.
There were also instances when the collecting agents asked users to download different applications in order to settle their payments. However, these transactions required them to avail more loans, which only increased their debts.
The online lending company did not have a certificate of authority or license to operate, according to the PNP-ACG.
The operatives recovered 59 laptops, cellphones, documents, and CCTV cameras in their Warrant to Search, Seize and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) operation. The suspects will be charged for violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 10175 or the “Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. (Khriscielle Yalao)