The Philippine National Police (PNP) warned the public against scammers who pose as personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in charge of enlistment in the social amelioration of the national government.
This, after a 30-year old Jhon Carl Mendoza was collared for asking a certain amount of money from poor residents in Cagayan de Oro City in exchange for the inclusion in the list of beneficiaries for the unreleased cash assistance at the height of the pandemic.
PNP officer-in-charge Police Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao, Jr. said the operation stemmed from the tip of a local resident about the modus of Mendoza that also includes alleged education assistance from the DSWD.
“He was arrested after an entrapment. He was arrested while in the act of receiving the registration payment from an undercover police officer,” said Danao.
“Based on the victim’s testimony, there was this deliberate act to deceive with the promise of receiving the benefits from a government agency. We hope that the public will learn from this case. We don’t just give our trust to anyone, especially to strangers,” he added.
During the coordination with the DSWD, Danao disclosed that almost similar cases have reached the agency regarding a victim who received a phone call from an anonymous caller asking for her vital information, including her bank account.
In return, the victim will be given an unclaimed COVID-19 cash aid.
Danao clarified that the Data Privacy Act of 2012 limits government agencies such as the DSWD to ask for such sensitive information.
“If you are in doubt, report immediately to the nearest police station. It’s important to note that you should be critical as well about the identity of the unknown person. If you are able to get his/her name, then check the veracity with the concerned