On April 23, 2025, at about 6:00 PM in Talisay City, Cebu, operatives of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 7 (RACU 7) conducted an entrapment operation that led to the arrest of a 44-year-old woman, alias “Mae,” for online scam by pretending to be the victim’s daughter.

The operation was initiated after a 59-year-old man, alias “Rey,” personally reported to RACU 7 that he had sent money amounting to approximately Php 2,000,000.00 to a person using her daughter’s Facebook account for over three years believing that she was actually her daughter.

“Mae” is facing charges for violation of Article 315 (Estafa/Swindling) of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to Section 6 of RA No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), and Section 4(b)3 (Computer-Related Identity Theft) of RA 10175.

The Chief of the PNP, Police General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil, expressed full support for the Group’s initiatives, emphasizing the importance of a proactive and unified approach in addressing the growing challenges of cybercrime.

Police Brigadier General Bernard R. Yang, Acting Director of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG), commended the unit for the successful operation. He also stated, “The use of stolen identities in online scams is a serious crime that not only harms victims financially but also damage the lives and reputations of innocent people. We will not tolerate these acts. We remain steadfast in our mission to ensure a safer digital space for everyone.”