Public school teacher in debt because of identity theft

A public school teacher may be a victim of identity theft as he owes three banks P800,000 for loans he did not apply for, according to a report by John Consulta on GMA-7’s “24 Oras” on Friday.

Mark Joseph Lontok said he received notifications from three banks saying that he borrowed a total of P800,000 in salary loans. He denied applying for the loans.

However, Lontok remembered posting a photo of his Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ID online.

“Iyong time na nakapasa ako sa LET (Licensure Examination for Teachers), nag-post po agad ako. Tsaka pagpasok ko po sa public (school), pagbigay ng papel ko, pinost din po sa FB (Facebook) sa sobrang tuwa ko po,” he said.

“Wala naman akong ginagawang masama,” he added.

Over P9,000 have been deducted from his payroll account every month, which surprised him because he did not sign any document authorizing the bank to deduct the amount.

“Ang liit po ng sweldo naming mga teacher. Kakaltasan pa po ng P9,000 plus. Napakahirap po para sa akin. Ako lang po ang nagtatrabaho sa pamilya ko,” Lontok said.

Another bank is also yet to deduct P10,000 from his account.

One of the banks have already submitted photos of the man who applied for the loan using Lontok’s identity.

With this incident, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reminded the public to be discerning in posting personal information online.

“Usong-uso nga na mahilig tayong mag-post ng mga impormasyon tungkol sa atin, iyong mga litrato natin, mga ID natin. As much as possible, iwasan natin iyon. Proteksyunan natin iyong privacy natin,” NBI Anti-Fraud and Action Division executive officer Atty. Dennis Syhian said.

For leads on the suspect who stole Lontok’s identity and similar complaints, call NBI hotline at (02) 524-6395 or (02) 525-4093. — Trisha Macas, BAP, GMA News