PNP arrests fake online meat supplier with support from GCash

Romelyn Lobaton y Sibud

An online meat supplier is facing charges of swindling and estafa for allegedly using a false identity and running away with the P12,173 payment for undelivered supplies. Police operatives were able to arrest the suspect with the help of the leading finance app GCash.

The operation, led by the Philippine National Police Quezon City District Anti-Cybercrime Team (QCDACT), arrested the suspect, who was identified as Romelyn Sibut Lobaton. According to the QCDACT report, Lobaton sold 27 kilos of beef and 15 kilos of chicken to the victim under the social media identity of 'Maria Cortiz'. Lobaton allegedly made the victim believe that the order was about to be dispatched by sending the customary dispatch photo, making the latter confident enough to initiate the bank transfer payment. Hours later, the victim followed up for an update on the delivery but later learned that she had been blocked.

"We would like to remind our users to be extra vigilant when transacting online. We assure everyone that we are relentlessly chasing after these perpetrators, in collaboration with law enforcement authorities. Let us help each other. We encourage our users to report any suspicious activities to the PNP hotline or GCash Help Center," said GCash vice president and head of corporate communications Gilda Maquilan.

GCash continues to urge its users to exercise extra caution when transacting on the platform, never revealing their MPIN or OTP, and refraining from clicking on links that lead to external websites or senders they are unfamiliar with. For help and assistance, users can contact the PNP-ACG via their hotlines at (02) 8414-1560 or 0998-598-8116, or via email at acg@pnp.gov.ph.

To report scams and fraudulent activities, users can visit the official GCash Help Center at help.gcash.com or message Gigi on the website and type "I want to report a scam." GCash will never send private messages to ask for personal information, especially the MPIN and One-Time Pin (OTP). Customers can also reach out to the official GCash hotline at 2882 for queries and other concerns.

For more information, visit https://www.gcash.com