A VIRAL exposé by a content creator on a suspected online investment scam has prompted authorities to launch an investigation, but officials warned that the individual behind the video could still face legal consequences for unauthorized hacking.

Frederick Amores, director of the Department of Information and Communications Technology-Central Visayas (DICT-7), emphasized that hacking remains illegal unless sanctioned through proper channels.

“If you hack because you want to be like a Robin Hood, I think that is also a slippery slope…It’s also very dangerous,” Amores said on Wednesday, May 21.

The video, uploaded by a foreign YouTuber known as “mrwn,” exposed a supposed investment operation in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City.

The company allegedly promised a 30 percent weekly return, an offer cybersecurity officials deemed highly suspicious.

The content creator reportedly accessed the company’s security cameras, desktop screens, and internal communications without authorization.

Authorities, including the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), raided the site on May 20 but found it already abandoned.

Computers, equipment, and personal belongings were left behind, suggesting the occupants had fled in haste.

Investigators later found that the office, identified as BMJ Data Processing Services, was sub-leased and allegedly used to run scams targeting individuals in Africa.

DICT-7 confirmed that the office lacked a mayor’s business permit. The Business Permit and Licensing Office issued a show cause order requiring a response within 72 hours or face potential permanent closure.

CICC field officer Florentino Somera said their forensic lab in Manila is prepared to process recovered digital data, including biometrics and computer files, to assist in the probe.

Amores clarified that the ongoing investigation is primarily under the CICC, an agency attached to DICT but based in Manila. A CICC representative has been deployed to the region to help coordinate efforts.

DICT-7 has yet to receive any communication from the content creator or their representatives, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

While DICT is not a law enforcement body, Amores said the agency works closely with the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation in tracking cybercrime.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Edgardo “Jaypee” Labella II, in a privilege speech, urged a stronger collaboration between civic groups, content creators, ethical hackers, and the government in dismantling cybercriminal networks.

Labella stressed that what occurred was not just a technical breach but a moral issue affecting thousands in the BPO sector.(MyTVCebu)

• Tags
• #Youtuber; exposé
• #Frederick Amores
• #MRWN
• #Baranghy Kagyn
• #Cebu Gity
• #Criminal ivestigation and Detection Unit,Danao