Pickpockets in Manila wipe out man's e-wallet, make online bank loan

Thieves in Manila City stole a pedestrian's smartphone, ransacked the money in his e-wallet, and used the device to make an online bank loan as a final deed.

According to a 24 Oras report by Emil Sumangil on Tuesday, the perpetrators were seen on CCTV footage trailing a shoulder bag-toting pedestrian along Taft Avenue before quickly switching paths to follow the victim and his companion.

"Bag ko nun, that time, hindi nakasara nang maayos tapos nakita nila. Ang bilis eh, binangga ako nu'ng isang babae. Napatalikod ako. After nu’n, wala na 'yung cellphone ko," said victim Jonathan Wu.

(My bag wasn't closed properly at that time. They saw that. It happened so fast, I was bumped by a woman, so I turned around. After that, next thing I knew, my cellphone was missing.)

Soon after, the victim received notifications that money was taken from his e-wallet and that a loan was made using the linked bank account.

"Nag-email sa akin [na] nag-change ng password. May transaction na, nag-withdraw sila. ['Yung] first amount [ay] P40,000, next amount is P49,000. Nag-apply sila ng loan amounting to P25,000. Ang bilis nilang na-bypass 'yung cellphone. Within two hours, nakuha niya lahat ng details and everything, so medyo 'di siya normal na pickpocket incident," Wu added.

(I got an email notification [that] my password was changed. Withdrawal transactions were made. [The] first amount [was] P40,000, the next amount was P49,000. Then they applied for a loan amounting to P25,000. They bypassed the phone security so fast. Within two hours, they got all the details and everything, so it’s not a normal pickpocket incident.)

CCTV footage also showed that after the cellphone was taken, the thieves were walking towards Roxas Boulevard. Next, they walked back towards Taft Avenue, then could not be seen in succeeding video clips.

"Tumingin sa akin 'yung babae na naka-mask bago kami tumawid. Nagkatinginan pa kami, tapos diretso na sila," recalled the victim's companion, his girlfriend Shane Lanzarotte.

(The woman in a mask looked at me before we crossed. Our eyes met, then they went ahead.)

The Manila Police District, meanwhile, said it has apprehended several individuals in relation to the case.

"Meron na tayong mga nahuli rito, at kung maaari kung pwede siyang pumunta rito sa punong himpilan ng Manila Police District para i-identify niya kung itong mga tao ito ang bumiktima sa kanya," said MPD spokesperson Police Major Philipp Ines.

(We have already made some arrests. We are inviting the complainant to come over to the Manila Police District headquarters to identify if these are the ones who victimized him.)

The 24 Oras report said the e-wallet company has already taken initial measures in response to the complaint lodged by the victim.

The company also advised that should anyone lose his or her cellphone to thieves, take action to block the SIM card; suspend banking, e-wallet and e-commerce accounts; and report the incident to anti-scam hotline 1326 of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC). — Jiselle Anne Casucian/ VDV, GMA Integrated News