NBI arrests man for hacking commercial bank

INQUIRER.net file photo

MANILA, Philippines — A man was arrested for hacking reputable companies and getting their passwords and bank details, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Thursday.

NBI Director Dante Gierran identified the suspect as Kli Ban Agarrado, who used compromised accounts to fraudulently transfer funds without the knowledge and approval of the legitimate account holder.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by a top commercial bank in the country against the suspect for illegally using the bank’s credentials and logo.

The suspect was reportedly taking advantage of victims who would discover supposedly illegal transfers of funds in their accounts through a fake customer facility.

The facility would then refer the victims to another fake Facebook account, supposedly of the bank.

In the bogus account, the victims’ account credentials would again be used for another fraudulent transfer of funds.

After months of surveillance, the NBI arrested the suspect last on Wednesday, Dec. 19, for violating the Computer Related Fraud and Access Device Law of 1996.

The NBI said investigation revealed the suspect had already victimized people in several provinces.

Items seized from the suspect, such as digital devices, were taken to the NBI-Digital Forensic Laboratory for examination. /atm