NBI bares P3-M debit card fraud

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has exposed the activities of an international debit card fraud syndicate that reportedly amassed some P3 million from a former official of the Philippine Association of Recording Industries (PARI) in just two months.

Regional Director Ruel Lasala, NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) chief, said they have launched a manhunt for seven other members of the group following the apprehension of one Romeo Jalimao Jr., 33, and a resident of Sta. Mesa, Manila.

In a span of two months, starting in November, the syndicate made several withdrawals of P200,000 each from different branches of Citibank from the bank account of complainant Ramon Chuaying, 50, a former director of PARI and a resident of Quezon City.

The amount of US$4,000, or P200,000 is the daily allowable withdrawal, which the bank imposed on Chuaying’s Citibank Mastercard account. The card became valid last November.

Head agent Ferdinand Lavin, of the NBI-NCR, said they apprehended the suspect last month after receiving a tip that he would be making a withdrawal from the automated teller machine (ATM) of a Citibank branch using a stolen debit card.

Lavin dispatched four teams in different bank branches, including Binondo in Manila, Greenhills in San Juan, Libis in Quezon City and Paseo de Roxas in Makati City.

At around 7 p.m. of Dec. 21, they spotted Jalimao parking a Mitsubishi Adventure with plate number XBG-349 in front of the Binondo branch.

The vehicle was later traced to a car rental company and was leased to Jalimao. It was later impounded at the NBI head office.

The NBI agents waited for the suspect to complete his withdrawal at the ATM booth before apprehending him.

Found in his possession was P200,000 in cash and the debit card in the victim’s name.

At first, he pretended to own the card, but when asked to show other forms of identification, his real identity was revealed.

"What’s puzzling here is that when we informed Mr. Chuaying about the recovery of his debit card, he said he does not know the card existed. So, there was no record that he even lost it," Lavin said.

The NBI said the syndicate may have connections abroad who might have sent an original debit card through a courier to their counterparts in Metro Manila.

Agents have encountered similar schemes in the past, but all were locally-based.

This was the first time that they encountered a syndicate utilizing an international debit card.

Chuaying told the investigators that the last time he had to use a Citibank Mastercard was in June 2005 when he applied for a joint account with his daughter in California. He never reapplied for a card.

"Mr. Chuaying was surprised as to how the card was issued and how it landed in the hands of the syndicate. To prevent future illegal withdrawals from his account, he immediately called the Citibank office in California and requested that further transactions be placed on hold."

The NBI said the victim was unaware that the suspects have already stolen P3 million from him.

Lasala warned cardholders to take precaution.

"They should also keep their billing records and not discard them carelessly because these documents may contain sensitive information," he said.