Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to submit within 30 days a progress report on the NBI’s investigation on the alleged phishing scheme that victimized teachers with Land Bank of the Philippines accounts.
“OIC Distor is hereby directed to submit a report on the progress of the subject investigation and case build-up directly by the Office of the Secretary within 30 days from receipt, and periodically
thereafter,” Guevarra said, in a Department Order issued on January 25 and received by the office of NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor on January 26.
The DOJ chief also instructed that if the NBI agents can gather evidence on the illegal phishing activities, they should file the appropriate cases against those behind the scam.
Guevarra also directed the bureau “to conduct an investigation and case build-up on alleged phishing schemes victimizing teachers with Land Bank accounts, and if evidence warrants, to file the appropriate charges against those found responsible thereof.”
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition reported that the number of complaints against phishing has increased to 50.
There were reportedly multiple unauthorized withdrawals on the teachers’ payroll accounts, with the amounts ranging from P900 to P200,000.
The teachers’ group noted that the common denominator was that the teachers received multiple one-time pin (OTP) on their bank accounts. Even if the teachers did not provide their OTP, the transactions with Land Bank still reportedly pushed through. Rey E. Requejo
The Department of Education had also reminded the teachers to be wary of phishing attempts and immediately report bank accounts that may have been compromised.
The Land Bank denied that their systems were hacked, and claimed that their systems remained secure.
“According to the initial investigation by Land Bank, the devices of the teachers were hacked via phishing which compromised their personal information,” Land Bank said.