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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider JV says son got scammed even after SIM registration; backs addt'l intel funds for DICT ​

JV says son got scammed even after SIM registration; backs addt'l intel funds for DICT ​

Published Aug 4, 2023 08:17 am
  Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Friday, August 4 said his son fell victim to scammers even after the government strengthened the fight against text scams by mandating the registration of all Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) cards through the SIM Registration Act.    Because of this, Ejercito said he supports putting additional confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) into the budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and other similar agencies.   According to the senator, his son, Emilio, lost around P100,000 to P120,000 of his savings after he was scammed by an unidentified mobile phone caller. The incident, he said, happened around last month, about the same time the mandatory SIM registration ended.    “Naku, yung kanyang savings ng ilang taon na nagtatrabaho na, nalimas…na-scam (His savings from several years of working were stolen…he got scammed),” Ejercito narrated during an online interview.    “Mukhang inside job ito. At dapat tignan ng mga bangko (This looks like an inside job. And the banks should look into this),” he pointed out.    Ejercito said it all happened after his son got approved for a credit card: “Then may tumawag na sa kanya (Then somebody called him) asking for information. Alam ang information niya, kaya sabi ko inside job (The caller knows some information, that’s why I say it was an inside job.”   Sen. JV Ejercito and his son, Emilio. According to the senator, his son lost his savings worth more than P100,000 after he was scammed by an unidentified mobile phone caller. (Photo courtesy O/S JV Ejercito) 



“Bata pa kasi, naïve pa, akala niya talagang legit, kasi alam ang info niya. Naibigay niya OTP (one-time pin), kaya ayun nalimas ang kanyang savings na ilan taon…na-trauma ang bata. Sinave niya yun through the years (Because he’s young and a bit naïve, he thought it was legitimate, because they already know his information. He gave the OTP and that’s why he ended up losing his savings which he saved for so many years…he was traumatized. He saved that through the years,” the senator lamented.    “That’s why if the DICT will use intel fund for cybercrime I will support them. They (scammers) are targeting vulnerable individuals—children, senior citizen and house helpers,” he pointed out.    “I suppose the DICT would use the funds for anti-cybercrime measures. This is a new crime that we are facing, because of the advent of technology. I would suppose if they would use the funds for that, then its justifiable,” he stressed.    Ejercito said they have already filed a complaint at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The bank, he said, is also cooperating in the investigation.   The senator also said he will ask Sen. Mark Villar, chairman of the Senate banks committee and will also file a resolution calling for an investigation into the matter.    “Kasi maraming scammers yung mga bagong accounts ‘yun ang tinatarget nila. Talagang may info sila. Kaya naman marami ang napapalagay akala legit. Kasi they have background info on the target (Because most of these cammers target the new accounts. They really have the information. That’s why most of them think they are legitimate. Because they also have background information on the target),” he said.   The government, through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is asking Congress to approve a P10.14-billion CIF funds across all government agencies under the proposed 2024 national budget. Nearly half of the CIF funds will go to the Office of the President. 
 

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text scams DICT SIM registration act Senator JV Ejercito
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