Police arrested a woman for alleged swindling and estafa after she presented a fake receipt as proof that she had already paid for more than P157,000 worth of imported clothing in an online store.
The operation was carried out by agents of the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-ACG) based on the data provided by the GCash, a popular e-wallet app in the country.
Based on the report, the suspect, who has been using the name Sofia Lim, bought imported clothing materials from Thailand and Japan from an online store.
She then presented a screenshot of the fake receipt to the online seller as proof that she already paid the amount of P157,112. The money, however, did not reflect on the account of the online seller.
The PNP-ACG agents then conducted an entrapment operation which resulted in the arrest of the suspect. She is now a subject of an inquest proceedings at the Las Piñas Prosecutor's Office for swindling and estafa in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Amid the prevalence of online scams, the PNP-ACG warned perpetrators of legal consequences via aggressive police operations. It said victims could contact them via its hotlines at (02) 8414-1560, 0998-598-8116, or email at [email protected].
For its part, GCash is encouraging users to be aware of various modes of scams, fraud, and cybercrime and even conducts initiatives to educate the public on safety while engaging in online transactions.
Among the initiative is the information drive in teaching users not to disclose account information and refraining from clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
GCash, on the other hand, urged its customers to report scams and fraudulent activities through its Help Center in the app or at the website help.gcash.com. It said customers can also reach out to the official GCash hotline at 2882 for queries and other concerns.