PJI

SCAMMERS USING JOURNAL GROUP

January 17, 2025 Alfred P. Dalizon 124 views

PNP cybercops order probe

ACTING on a request from the Journal Group of Companies, Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) director, Brigadier General Sydney S. Hernia on Thursday ordered an investigation of online scammers using People’s Journal and People’s Tonight to extort money or force their targets to pay their debts in the guise of hoax advertisements

“We are investigating this latest online scam and at the same time warning the public to be wary of the existence of such illegal activity. If you have come across such modus operandi, please come to our office and file a formal complaint so they can be properly acted upon,” said the head of the PNP-ACG.

The Journal Group management has called on the public not to entertain letters purportedly sent by the company regarding a ‘Notice of Publication’ that threatens the receiver to either settle his/her loan obligations or claiming that he/she is the subject of a cybercrime offense.

A sample of this letter is the following:

“We received a paid ad “Notice to the Public” against (letter-recipient) dragging the name of (recipient’s company) indicating that there is a pending case violation of Article 318 of the Revised Penal Code Access Device.

We noticed that it will bring negative publicity against you in line with our mandate of protecting the interest of member newspaper organizations and promoting ethical standards in the profession.

In granting the same, may we request that you coordinate with the advertiser’s representative of said advertisement., It will be published starting by July 26, 2023 in a newspaper and paid by a certain person (purported lawyer’s name).

Note: This is avoidable.

The scammers have been using the e email address “[email protected] which is entirely different from the official e-mail address of People’s Journal or People’s Tonight.

Article 318 of the Revised Penal Code pertains to ‘Other Deceits’ which carries the penalty of arresto mayor and a fine of not less than the amount of damage caused and not more than twice such amount on any person who shall defraud or damage another by any other deceit.”

On the other hand, RA 8484 is the act that regulates the issuance and use of access devices, prohibiting fraudulent acts committed relative to it and providing penalties for the offense. The crime carries a minimum penalty of P10,000 and an imprisonment of not less than 12 years and not more than 20 years.

Brig. Gen. Hernia said they expect that with the full implementation of the SIM Registration Law, scammers will now use FB Messenger and other Social Media Messaging Apps to scam/con other people.

In the case of con artists using the name of the Journal Group, he said that definitely, they will not be using text messages anymore to scam people and instead create different e-mail accounts to continue their illegal activities.

In the Journal Group case, company officials said the con artists are really making it appear that their e-mails really come from the publication to force their targets to settle their unpaid obligations or give in to their other demands.

The management of the Journal Group of Publications has officially denied it has sent or has been sending such threatening ‘Notices of Publication’ to the public via e-mail.

In 2021, online scammers also used the name of the late Journal Group publisher and editor-in-chief, Mr. Augusto B. Villanueva to extort money from their targets in the guise of hoax advertisements.

The scammers also used the fakenjournalpeoples<peoplesjournalnewspaper@gmailcom> address to victimize the public, the PNP-ACG learned.

The scammers’ modus operandi in 2021 was simple. Using the name of Mr. Villanueva, they sent e-mail notices to companies they have been targeting, claiming that the newspaper outfit has received a Notice to the Public which will bring negative publicity to the concerned company.

The suspects were believed to have been targeting people with delinquent payments on their credit cards or bank loans and using the personal information of their targets, would call the attention of their company’s human resource department and warn them of a forthcoming negative publicity thru Paid Ads in order for them to come across their monetary demands.

One particular 2021 e-mail message sent to a target read as follows:

“We received a paid ad “NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC” against xxxxxxxx dragging the name of xxxxxxxxxxxxx, indicating that there is a pending case violation of ARTICLE 315 OF THE REVISED PENAL CODE/R.A. 8484 Access Device. We noticed that it will bring negative publicity against you and the company that is why we are informing you. It will be Publish for 3 consecutive Sundays and paid by a certain xxxxxxxxx.

Note: This is avoidable

We recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive error’s promptly (sic).”

The scammers’ letter had the unsigned name of Augusto B. Villanueva, Editor-in-Chief in its last paragraph.

A similar email was sent to another target who promptly called the attention of the Journal Group and asked if the email he received is a legitimate email from Mr. Villanueva.

“It’s a scam. It wasn’t’ sent by our office,” the Journal Group replied.

The PNP-ACG said the suspects have created fake email addresses to extort money from their victims by threatening to publish their pictures and the supposed criminal cases they are facing.

The PNP-ACG found out then that the scammers were doing it for financial gain.

“What we have discovered is that they are using the name, logo and other details of Journal Group including the name of its publisher Gus Villanueva to scamp people,” the PNP-ACG said in 2021.

It also learned that the email “[email protected]” may have been created only for the purpose of scamming and may have not been used to register in other platforms.

The suspects deliberately created an email which mimics the legitimate People’s Journal with the attempt to assume the company identity to be used for scam, the PNP-ACG said.

Using the said e-mail address, the suspects contacted their targets directly since no other online activity was found in other online platforms.

The suspects were also believed then to have been using other online accounts and services for communication and other purposes.

The PNP-ACG has sought the cooperation of the Journal Group in its investigation into the scam.

The PNP-ACG can apply for Warrant to Disclose Computer Data (WDCD) to be issued to Google through the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) being facilitated by the Department of Justice.

Cyber-patrollers from the PNP-ACG have started searching for Open-Source Intelligence and Social Media Intelligence to discover the presence and other linkages of the fake People’s Journal email account.

The Journal Group may also email directly to Google via their email reporting service for the immediate takedown of the said fake Journal account in order to save other potential victims.

The general public is also encouraged to support the PNP it its campaign against cyber criminals by providing relevant information to the nearest police stations or through social media (Twitter – @PNPACG or Facebook Page – PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group) or through the following: Dial 117 or text 2920; PNP ACG Hotline 414-1560/633-143.

AUTHOR PROFILE