NBI given 30 days to crack case of hacked bank accounts of teachers
The Department of Justice. (Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has given the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 30 days to submit a progress report on its investigation of a bank hacking scheme that cost teachers thousands of pesos.
“OIC Distor is hereby directed to submit a report on the progress of the subject investigation and case build-up directly by the Office of the Secretary within 30 days from receipt, and periodically thereafter,” Guevarra said in a department order.
The NBI is investigating reports teachers lost money from P26,000 to P112,000 after their Landbank accounts were hacked.
Under the Department Order, Guevarra instructed the NBI to investigate, build a case and file the appropriate charges against the perpetrators.
Teachers Dignity Coalition chair Benjo Basas said that 16 teachers from Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Central Luzon, Negros, and Mindoro raised that their Landbank accounts lost money.
The amount lost per teacher ranges from P26,000 to P121,000, “or from their regular salary and holiday bonuses to lifetime savings.”
READ: Some teachers lose P26K to P121K each in alleged bank hacking — group
The Department of Education told the teachers to report bank accounts that may have been compromised and be wary of phishing schemes.
Landbank, meanwhile has denied that their systems were hacked, and claimed that their systems remained secure.
“According to the initial investigation by Landbank, the devices of the teachers were hacked via phishing which compromised their personal information,” Landabank said.
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