A man was arrested in Ozamiz City after his former girlfriend reported him for allegedly circulating sensitive photos of her online.
According to Jun Veneracion’s report on “24 Oras” on Wednesday, the suspect is accused of sending the photos to his friends on social media.
He was arrested by the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) in an entrapment operation in Ozamiz City.
“Ito ay isang sextortion activity na kung saan yung biktima at suspek ay dating meron silang relasyon,” said PNP-ACG Cyber Response Unit Chief Jay Guillermo.
(This is a sextortion activity where the victim and the suspect had a past relationship.)
GMA Integrated News is trying to obtain a statement from the suspect.
Sextortion is one of the cyber-related incidents that have seen an increase—or at least an increase in reporting. According to the PNP-ACG, 56 cases were recorded in 2021, with the number increasing to 110 in 2022 and 121 in 2023.
In January 2024 alone, 19 cases have been reported.
However, among cyber-related criminal incidents, online scamming is still on top, with authorities logging 7,208 cases in 2022 and 14,030 cases in 2023.
Other cybercrimes such as computer-related fraud and love scams have seen an increase in reported cases.
“Alarming in the sense na talagang hindi tayo nasi-zero every day. This is a big criminal activity that requires whole-of-nation approach,” said PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo.
In response to the problem, the PNP will set up cybersecurity desks in police stations while additional police officers will also be assigned to the PNP-ACG. — Sherylin Untalan/BM, GMA Integrated News