QUEZON CITY – Upon request of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Facebook has disabled three poser accounts that illegally assumed the identity of PNP Chief, Police General Camilo P Cascolan.
In a report from Camp Crame, the police cybercrime investigators have traced these poser accounts to several cases of online swindling and estafa, mostly solicitation of funds from unsuspecting victims purportedly for social welfare and humanitarian projects.
PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group Director, Police Brigadier General Marvin Manuel Pepino reported that three Facebook poser accounts have been flagged identified under the account names: “Camilo Pancratius Pikoy Cascolan”, “Camilo P Cascolan”, “Camilo Cascolan”, misrepresenting the page as owned by the Chief PNP.
PNP-ACG has initiated investigation and case build-up on the activities of persons behind the identified bogus Facebook accounts, and requested social networking giant to takedown these pages to prevent possible further illegal activities.
PNP-ACG promptly received a communication from Facebook’s Law Enforcement Outreach Manager, Rob Abrams, confirming that Facebook has disabled all three accounts.
Pepino said “these fake accounts have been active in social networks enticing Facebook users to donate funds purportedly to purchase computer tablets for students in urban poor communities for online classes.”
Pepino also revealed that four (4) persons of interest have been sent of subpoenas to appear before the Regional Field Units of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for ongoing investigations into fake Facebook accounts using the identity of the Chief PNP in online scam activities.
This joint ACG-CIDG investigation seeks to further develop facts and new inputs to identify the personalities behind online scam operations using these bogus Facebook accounts, Pepino said.
Those behind these fake Facebook accounts may face criminal charges for violation of Sec. 4 (b) 3 of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, for identity theft; and Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code for Swindling or Estafa (Online Scam), Pepino explained.