19 individuals were arrested after allegedly being involved in a “vishing” scam in Imus, Cavite, last Friday. Among those involved include a well-known rapper and his vlogger girlfriend.
The rapper and his girlfriend were allegedly recruited by the leader of the “Mamita” group, which is believed to have been involved in voice phishing for 11 years. The rapper even said he didn’t know the scam’s true intentions and thought it was a legal business initially. It’s been three months since the rapper was recruited into the scheme.
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“They seem to want to leave because we have already done the operation,” said PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) spokesperson Wallen Mae Arancillo. “”P5 million per week ang kinikita nila and I believe by percentage sila kung ilan ang tao na ma-scam nila.”
The PNP-ACG obtained a search warrant and was arrested in a rental house, which serves as a vishing hub. Several suspects even attempted to escape, resulting in a chase at the nearby farm. However, they were quickly apprehended.
Various SIM cards, mobile devices, laptops, bank documents, ledgers, and scripts were also seized during the arrest. These items were used by the suspects during their vishing scam operations.
“The items we got there are the credit card application form itself. Most likely, it is obtained from malls outside banks,” said Arancillo.
From June to August this year, the PNP-ACG attacked four vishing hubs. The suspects were charged with numerous offenses, including violating the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act. They are now detained at the PNP-ACG headquarters.
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For those wondering what a vishing scam is, “vishing” is a shortened term for “voice phishing”. This phishing scam revolves around individuals who use phone calls or voice messages to trick victims into giving sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers or bank account numbers.
They will come up as representatives for legitimate organizations to create a sense of urgency and manipulate victims easily. Vishing usually targets vulnerable people who, the scammers believe, are easy to trick or desperate for financial solutions.
Falling victim to a vishing scam can have serious consequences. Individuals need to be cautious at all times when receiving unexpected calls that seem suspicious.
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