Concerned citizen’s tip leads to arrest of credit-card fraud suspects

CIDG Director Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A concerned citizen has helped police arrest three suspects involved in credit card fraud Sunday, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said Tuesday.

Police Director Samuel D. Pagdilao, Jr., CIDG chief, identified the three suspects as Gringo Omar S. Labayani, Norman L. Taebas, and Gerald B. Acopio. They were arrested in an entrapment operation around 11 p.m. Sunday,  he said in a statement.

The concerned citizen told CIDG operatives about the suspects’ credit card fraud scheme. The suspects provided the citizen with a “skimming device” that can obtain information from credit cards and would be paid P1,000 for every card information stolen through the device.

“The concerned citizen, however, contacted the police about the group’s activities and agreed to cooperate in setting up an entrapment operation against them,” Pagdilao said.

A laptop, the skimming device, an adapter cord, two computer keyboards, and the money used to pay the concerned citizen were confiscated from the suspects during the operation.

“We applaud the proactive stance of citizens in helping the police stop these unscrupulous people,” Pagdilao said.

Pagdilao said a case for violation of Republic Act No. 8484 (Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998) will be filed against the suspects.