Facebook, fertile ground for scammers

The arrest of a 24-year-old young man who tried to blackmail a Fil-Japanese student highlights the inherent dangers lurking in online social media.

The suspect managed to post fictional e-mail and Facebook accounts as part of a cheap, yet effective setup to trap his teenage victim.

He maneuvered to obtain the student’s semi-nude photos by convincing her to send them to him through his Facebook account. Later on, she was shocked to find out the price of betrayal of her trust. She was told to pay P15,000 cash or see her photos go viral on the Internet.

An entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) stopped John Jayson Antonio. By then he had reportedly victimized several other women.

A charge of child abuse and threats were slapped on him by the prosecutor. He’s entitled to temporary release on bail while the case goes to trial. But his name is as good as mud after the scam, which he confessed to, came to light.

We hope the NBI can convince other victims to testify so they can have a solid case.

With Facebook users around the world nearing the billion mark, the social network has become a fertile ground for scammers and purveyors of illicit trades, who can form troll or fake accounts to join groups, befriend virtual strangers and otherwise sell anything from toothpicks to a bogus mutual cash fund.

It’s up to Internet users to use common sense and guard their privacy.

Just this month, a Cebu scholar was arrested by the police for hacking a doctor’s gold Visa credit card. The case of identity theft, a trend consumers are constantly warned about, resulted in the unauthorized purchase of plane tickets which the student would sell at deep discounts to clients.

Law enforcers tracked him down by posing as a client.

The Fil-Japanese victim in the Facebook scam had naivete going against her favor. She could have ended up losing not just money but her innocence to the demands of a smooth operator who asked for “romance” and cash.

It was a good move on her part to swallow her pride and seek the help of the NBI.

It’s about time the NBI 7 had a cybercrime unit to deal with the tough cases of cyberporn, hacking and Facebook abuses.

Even with its limited resources, we also hope the Provincial Women’s Commission and other stakeholders in Cebu coordinate to stop similar online scams that prey on vulnerable girls and women.

It would be a fitting service and initiative for March as International Women’s Month.