NBI vows to put cyber criminals behind bars
NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Officer-In-Charge Eric Distor has ordered the fast-tracking of investigation into the cybercrime cases filed with the agency as he assured the public they will not stop until the cyber criminals are put behind bars.
Distor also directed members of his Directorial Staff and cyber-investigators to coordinate with bank regulators such as the Central Bank and other government financial institutions on how to strengthen the banking system curb or stop fraud.
Distor noted that hackers exploited the vulnerability of the bank process that they were able to find access to bypass the one time pin (OTP) requirement of a transaction that resulted in fraudulent activity.
Immediately responding to the incident and under his strict orders, five perpetrators involved in the hacking incident were arrested by NBI-Cyber Crime Division (NBI-CCD) agents in a series of operations on January 17 – 20, 2022.
Two of the arrested subjects turned out to be foreign nationals and three locals.
Following their arrest, the NBI dug deeper in its investigation and has identified about 30 more individuals who will be summoned to shed light on the recent hacking incident.
Distor also unveiled his plan for the NBI to spearhead and sponsor a Cyber Crime and Digital Forensic Summit in the second quarter of the year in collaboration with the Department of Justice and Department of Information, Communications and Technology (DICT).
“We will call IT professionals and practitioners to join the Summit as we need to have a strong and solid collaborative efforts of the private sector and the government to fight cybercrime. In this age fast technological advance where the world has become a borderless village, we need a united front to fight an unseen enemy,” Distor emphasized.
