19-year-old man arrested over alleged sex scam via Roblox

A 19-year-old man was arrested by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents in Pampanga for allegedly soliciting sexually explicit materials from minors through the online game Roblox.

The NBI Violence Against Women and Children Division found that the suspect preys on minors on multiple gaming platforms. His method involves befriending the victims first to gain their trust, then inviting them to a group chat to make his offer.

“‘Maghuhubad ka, we will be performing lewd acts.’ Kapalit nito, nagbibigay siya supposedly ng Robux, yung digital currency ng Roblox,” NBI Spokesperson Palmer Mallari said in a “24 Oras” report of Emil Sumangil on Monday.

(‘Take off your clothes, we will be performing lewd acts.’ In exchange, the suspect supposedly pays them with Robux, or the digital currency of Roblox.)

“... because of that, ang aming (our) Violence Against Women and Children Division processed information during online surveillance [and] was able to identify a particular user online na meron ngang ganitong klaseng (who was involved in this kind of) activity,” Mallari added.

The NBI caught the suspect in the act during the arrest, finding him in the middle of a chat session.

“The subject was actively enticing another 12-year-old victim, ‘yun nga para magbigay ng (to solicit) porn materials,” Mallari said.

The NBI said the suspect sells the explicit materials to several online users abroad.

In Sumangil’s report, some victims fall for the scam because the suspect pays them with something that can be instantly utilized for in-game purchases.

“Walang problema kung games lang, but if they fall victim sa mga ganitong mga klaseng subject na gumagawa ng ilegal, magiging malaki pong problema,” Mallari said.

(There is no problem if it is just gaming, but if they fall victim to these kinds of suspects committing illegal acts, it will become a major problem.)

The NBI reminds parents and guardians to closely monitor their children and to immediately report any suspicious online interactions to the authorities.

GMA News has reached out to the suspect for his statement. — Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/BAP, GMA News