Woman nabbed for sending fake e-wallet screengrabs as proof of payment

A woman was arrested in an undercover operation in Batangas for allegedly sending fake screengrabs of thousands of pesos worth of payments via an e-wallet app. 

According to John Consulta’s exclusive report in “24 Oras” on Thursday, an undercover agent from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) pretended to be a rider delivering items that were purchased online by the female suspect. Other agents arrested the woman after she received the orders.

Authorities said a business owner complained about the suspect after she ordered P33,000 worth of food and liquor from the complainant’s restaurant. The suspect sent fake screenshots of her alleged payments through a popular e-wallet service. 

“Umorder siya ng imported na alak. Nagtaka siya dahil pwede namang umorder sa grocery, bakit sa restaurant pa? So nag-check siya ng transaction history at napag-alaman niya na wala palang actual payment,” said NBI-Batangas executive officer Terrence Agustin. 

(She ordered imported liquor. The complainant was surprised because she could order from a grocery store, so why from a restaurant? So he checked the transaction history and found out that there was no actual payment.) 

The NBI warned that e-wallet receipts can be altered using artificial intelligence (AI). 

“Gumagamit sila ng technology gaya ng AI or artificial intelligence to make receipts look more convincing. Gumagamit sila ng e-platform, so gumagamit sila ng screenshot ng receipt of payment pero sa totoo ay walang ganun, fake,” said Agustin. 

(They use technology like AI or artificial intelligence to make receipts look more convincing. They use an e-platform, so they use a screenshot of the receipt of payment, but in reality, there is no such thing, it's fake.) 

Authorities added that as part of their scheme, scammers order at peak hours and on weekends. 

The arrested suspect will face charges for estafa and for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/NBI, GMA Integrated News