PUBLIC WARNED: IDENTITY THIEVES ON THE PROWL
A surge in cases of ‘hijack scam’ otherwise known as identity theft has been noted by the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group from November 2023 to February this year prompting officials to ask the public to be wary of these hi-tech fraud which may cause potential victims to lose even his lifetime savings.
According to PNP-ACG director Major General Sidney S. Hernia, they have documented 178 cases related to ‘hijack profile or identity theft scams’ during the past four months with incidents having peaked in February 2024 alone with 89 recovered cases indicating a concerning upward trend in this form of cybercrime.
The scam entails unauthorized access to a specific social media account. Once the suspects infiltrates the accounts of their targets, they will use this access to send messages to the account owners’ contacts, often requesting urgent financial assistance under false pretenses.
Maj. Gen. Hernia said scammers use various tactics to gain access to the profile, such as phishing, hacking, or social engineering techniques, which is a violation of Section 4 (a) (1) (Illegal Access), (b)(2) (Computer-related Fraud) and (3) (Computer-related Identity Theft) of RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012).
Thus, he said to prevent falling victim to a highjack profile scam, it is important to use strong, unique passwords for online accounts, enable multi-factor authentication whenever possible, be cautious about clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources, and regularly monitor your online accounts for any suspicious activity.
“If you suspect that your profile has been hijacked, immediately report it to the platform or service provider, take steps to secure your account, and notify relevant authorities to avoid potential legal liabilities that may arise from unauthorized access or misuse of your online identity,” the official said.
