Distor Orders Fast-Tracking of Cyber Crime Investigations

NBI OIC-Director Eric B. Distor has ordered the fast-tracking of investigation of cybercrime cases filed with the agency as he assured the public that the NBI will not stop until the cybercriminals are put behind bars and the fruits of their crimes are recovered and returned to the rightful owners.

Director Distor also directed the members of his Directorial Staff and cyber-investigators to coordinate with bank regulators such as the Central Bank and other government financial institutions on how we can strengthen the banks’ systems and policies to further curb or eradicate any future plans or attacks on banks.

Distor stressed these bold moves in the light of recent hacking incidents of a commercial bank last December 2021 that victimized hundreds of customer accounts. Distor also said thst hackers exploited the vulnerability of the bank process that they were able to find access to bypass the one time pin (OTP) requirement of a transaction that resulted in fraudulent activity.

Immediately responding to the incident and under his strict orders, five (5) perpetrators involved in the hacking incident were arrested by Agents from the NBI-Cyber Crime Division (NBI-CCD) in series of operations on January 17 – 20, 2022. Two of the arrested Subjects turned out to be foreign nationals and 3 locals.

Following their arrest, the NBI dug deeper in its investigation and has identified about thirty (30) more individuals who will be summoned to shed light on the recent hacking incident.

Distor also unveiled his plan for the NBI to spearhead and sponsor a Cyber Crime and Digital Forensic Summit in the second quarter of the year in collaboration with the Department of Justice and Department of Information, Communications and Technology (DICT).

“We will call IT professionals and practitioners to join the Summit as we need to have a strong and solid collaborative efforts of the private sector and the government to fight cybercrime. In this age fast technological advance where the world has become a borderless village, we need a united front to fight an unseen enemy”, Distor emphasized.