Anti-Cybercrime Group: clear phone data when swapping, selling unit

—Grig C. Montegrande

MANILA Philippines — The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) has reminded the public of the significance of protecting personal data through clearing any information related to them when swapping or selling mobile phones.

ACG acting director Brig. Gen. Ronnie Francis Cariaga advised the public to erase all data, log out of backup accounts, and perform factory resets to keep their personal information safe.

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Cariaga’s statement came after his office received a report involving a minor in which a male suspect threatened to send money or have her explicit videos leaked.

READ: Protecting data privacy

In a report, the suspect, identified using his alias “Arvin,” was apprehended in Payatas, Quezon City, last June 3. The suspect was caught during an entrapment operation courtesy of the PNP-ACG Women and Children Cybercrime Protection Unit.

According to police, Arvin threatened the minor using her nude videos and photos. It added that the suspect acquired the content after obtaining the old phone of the minor victim’s ex-boyfriend in a bazaar or tiangge.

The suspect has already been slapped with charges of child abuse, robbery with intimidation of person, anti-photo and anti-voyeurism in violation of Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) and Section 4 of RA 11930 (Anti-OSAEC and CSAEM Act). —Moss R. Laygo, INQUIRER.net intern