Suspected Hacker of Sen. Gatchalian's Credit Card Falls

Authorities have arrested one suspect in the hacking and unauthorized use of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian's credit card to purchase P1 million-worth of liquor items through an online delivery app earlier this year, the lawmaker said Thursday.

Gatchalian commended the National Bureau of Investigation for apprehending the suspect, Julius Anacin. He urged the agency to be more vigilant and help others who figured in similar incidents.

"I'd like to thank the NBI for a job well-done. The NBI has proven itself to be a reliable entity in law enforcement and can keep up with the technological innovations of hackers who obviously find potential goldmines in their fraudulent schemes," he said.

In January, Gatchalian said his credit card was hacked to make P1 million in purchases from Foodpanda in less than one hour. The hacker changed the registered phone number where the lawmaker from Valenzuela gets his OTPs or one-time passwords.

The senator called on authorities to ensure that credit card fraudsters will be prosecuted. He also stressed the need for a law to strengthen the financial system and protect consumers now that they become more dependent on financial products and services.

Gatchalian earlier filed Senate Bill 2287 which seeks to protect consumers against abusive debt collection practices and fraudulent schemes of some financial service providers.

The measure also aims to expand the jurisdiction of government financial regulators to cover all financial products and services offered and marketed by financial service providers.

"Kailangan nating pairalin ang batas para panagutin at hindi na pamarisan ang mga ganitong iligal na gawain. Hindi ito simpleng libangan dahil alam ng mga kawatan na may mga nilalabag silang batas," he said.