NBI warns public vs. online lending scams

NBI chief Jaime Santiago (seated in blue jacket) presented Mi Duan, a Chinese woman, the suspect in an online lending scam. | Photo from the Facebook page of the NBI)

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) cautioned the public against online lending schemes on  Friday following the arrest of a Chinese woman involved in an online collection scam that extorts money from borrowers through deceptive and coercive methods.

“We have been receiving messages about cash loans. Let’s be careful. We should consider these a menace to society,” NBI National Capital Region Regional Director Rommel Vallejo said.

The NBI-NCR arrested a Chinese woman identified as Mi Duan last July 22 in an operation conducted in Pasay City.

The NBI was prompted to investigate following a complaint of a woman who downloaded the application 24HPeso from the Google Play store to borrow P3,500.

Instead of receiving the loaned amount, the victim received only P1,900 after interest was deducted. She eventually was able to fully pay the entire P3,500 loan.

Threatened

Despite the full payment, agents purportedly of 24HPeso continuously contacted and threatened her.

One of the messages she received stated: “Hoy, yakapin mo na lahat ng mahal mo sa buhay. Sisiguraduhin ko sa’yo pagsisisihan mo ‘yan. Tinakasan mo utang mo. Itaga mo sa bato, nagkamali ka ng binangga. Ang mali mo, nag-iwan ka ng impormasyon.”

[Translation: Hug all your loved ones. I assure you, you will regret this. You ran away from your debt. Mark my words, you messed with the wrong person. Your mistake was leaving behind information.]

The victim said collection agents kept calling her, requesting a receipt to prove she had fully paid her loan.

Still, she is being harassed and even mentioned about sending a coffin for her.

NBI investigators found that the 24HPeso app contains malware that can access the victim’s phonebook once installed on a mobile phone. The information gathered from the victim’s phone is used to coerce, harass, and threaten the victim, including through posts on social media.

After locating the 24HPeso office, the NBI-NCR secured a search warrant and implemented it in the lending company’s office in Pasay City.

NBI agents seized the following: 33 smartphones, 32 computers, 1 laptop, 1 USB containing CCTV footage, 1 set of Visionary Lending Inc. documents, and a set of lease contracts.

Thorough documentation

NBI Director Jaime Santiago assured that the law enforcement operation was thoroughly documented through videos, photos taken by the NBI official photographer, and body-worn cameras in compliance with a Supreme Court order.

READ: SC to issue rule requiring use of body cams for serving search warrants

Meanwhile, the Filipino collection agents testified that they were initially hired as collection agents. Still, once they started working, they were given instructions and scripts to harass the borrowers. They added they were verbally and physically abused if they failed to meet their daily quota.

The collection agents will serve as the government’s witness.

Mi, who failed to present a passport is facing cases of violating Section 25 of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173)  in relation to Section 6  and Section 4(a1) of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA No. 10175).