The Department of Trade and Industry Region 10 is warning entrepreneurs
of the ongoing and increasing cases of cyber hacking especially on the
import and export transactions of Filipino importers and Chinese
suppliers.
Linda O. Boniao, officer-in-charge of Department of Trade and
Industry Region 10 said that these cases of cyber hacking usually divert
Filipino importers’ payments to the hacker’s bank account.
Further, she said, the Embassy’s economic team in Beijing has
already met with the officials of China’s Ministry of Public Security
(MPS) Criminal Investigation Department (ICD) particularly their cyber
crime investigation officers to discuss on these reported cases. So far,
there have been six cases reported to the Philippine Embassy in China
by Filipino victims, Boniao revealed.
According to the report, there are three variations of these
instances. One involves a Filipino importer and a Chinese supplier with
the former’s final transaction payment diverted to the hacker’s account
in China. The second involves a Filipino importer and a Chinese
supplier, with the former’s payment diverted to the hacker’s account
outside China. And the third type involves a Filipino importer and a
non-Chinese supplier, with the former’s payment ending up in the
hacker’s bank account in China.
Through investigation, Chinese officials have been able to trace the
perpetrators to Africans, specifically, Nigerians, said Boniao.
Chinese findings are further confirmed by the National Bureau of
Investigation here, she added. In a similar set-up between Filipino
importer and Chinese supplier, they were able to trace the deceptive
email directing the Filipino importer to deposit the payment in the
hacker’s account, to Nigeria.
Boniao explained that MPS authorities can easily freeze bank
accounts in China, if they are subject to criminal complaint. However,
this is not easy in other countries as it will require court order. She
added that Chinese officials cannot assist if hacker’s bank account is
outside China for lack of jurisdiction.
In the end, Boniao said that the most effective means of preventing
cyber hacking menace is for entrepreneurs to be vigilant about the
occurrence of such crime. (JMOR-PIA10)
source: PIA