Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson are warning the public against persons offering to pay to take photographs of their nationally issued identification cards or driver’s licenses.
They warned that the data taken could be used by others to assume their identities or for scams.
Benitez, on his radio program “Isugid Kay Mayor” on Wednesday night, said “this could be a smoking gun, we will not take this lightly”.
“If we can prevent a crime, much better,” he said.
The mayor called for a proper investigation into reports that a Chinese-looking female offered some Bacolod residents money in exchange for their allowing her to take photographs of their nationally issued IDs or driver’s licenses.
He said the data taken from the IDs could be used for identity theft or money laundering that must be prevented from happening.
Lawyer Van Encabo of the City Legal Office said taking photographs of IDs may seem harmless but a breach of data will have been committed if it is used for the commission of any crime.
The governor also called Col. Rainerio de Chavez, Negros Occidental police director, to a meeting on Thursday after he received information that there are some Chinese looking individuals taking pictures of drivers’ licenses.
“Without me telling them they are aware of it and are trying to identify the suspects,” Lacson said.
The governor warned Negrenses not to sell their ID information as it could be used for scams or crimes.
“We have to be vigilant, let’s learn from the incidents that happened in Pampanga and Tarlac”, he said, amid reports of suspected Chinese nationals assuming Filipino identities.
Lacson said he will also talk to the Bureau of Immigration about foreigners entering Negros Occidental.
Capt. Francis Depasucat, Bacolod Police Station 4 chief, said they earlier brought in a Chinese looking female for questioning for her alleged purchase of ID information but could not detain her since no complainant came forward.
The woman, who said she is Chinese-Filipino and has been residing in Bacolod for nine years, added that she had a store at a Bacolod mall.
She also showed the police her valid driver’s license, Depasucat said.
Jose Gabriel Jr., executive officer of the National Bureau of Investigation-Bacolod, said the woman brings a lot of cellular phones with her to create multiple E-wallet accounts using the data she gets from the identification cards of residents for a fee of P400.
So far they have reports of 13 persons at Cabugwason at the boundary of barangays Estefania and Vista Alegre in Bacolod who sold their driver’s licenses and national IDs, he said.
They are told they will be paid P100 if they agree to show their IDs and another P300 when the E-wallet is activated, Gabriel said.
These E-wallet accounts could be used for online financial scams, he said.*