4 arrested for alleged credit card fraud in Pasay

Four people were nabbed for alleged credit card fraud during an entrapment operation in Pasay City on Tuesday.

According to a report by Mariz Umali on Balitanghali on Wednesday, operatives of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) conducted the operation after being tipped by an online shop owner.

Suspects Marciano Bajamonde and Eric John Arellano believed they were picking up an air conditioner that they bought online.

Also in Pasay, two other suspects identified as Augustin Gonzales and Albino Pineda were supposed to pick up a television set ordered from the same online shop.

It was not clear if they were working together.

The suspects were in possession of various fake IDs with different names on them.

The modus of the suspects involves buying appliances using credit cards that do not belong to them.

"They will give address, mga fictitious address, tapos tatawagan nila na, 'I-mi-meet ka ng inutusan ko diyan, punta ka dito sa kabilang lugar na to.' So talagang planado nila para hindi natin sila ma-trace. This is the sixth delivery with the same people," said Senior Inspector Artemio Jun Cinco, Jr., public information officer of the PNP-ACG.

The owner of the online shop had become suspicious and coordinated with the bank and with the PNP-ACG.

The suspects did not deny their crime, but said they were merely working for someone else.

"Kami po 'yung kukuha ng TV tapos bibigyan lang po kami ng P1,000. Alam na po namin siguro na iligal 'yun pero kami pantawid gutom kami," one of them said.

Another claimed to have been ordered by one Edward Quinto, who was supposed to pay him P2,000 to pick up the air conditioner. —Jessica Bartolome/KG, GMA News