PNP warns vs fake social media accounts pretending to be police officials

MANILA — The Philippine National Police is warning the public against interacting with strangers on social media who claim to be police officers and officials after a fraudulent Facebook account was found to be impersonating Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartataez Jr.

The police said the fake accounts may try to trick them into transferring cash or disclosing sensitive information.

“We will not allow anyone to use the name of the PNP or its officials to deceive, intimidate, or take advantage of any of our kababayan,” Nartatez said of the  “Jose Melencio Corpus” account that used his photo on its profile.

The PNP chief has ordered the Anti-Cybercrime Group to investigate the account and identify who is behind it.

The police will also coordinate with tech giant Meta on account details and to preserve digital evidence before taking the fake profile down.

Citizens who encounter suspicious accounts claiming to be police officials are encouraged to preserve screenshots and document relevant information for reporting to Facebook and the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group.

Police units have also been instructed to monitor for fake accounts that may be impersonating PNP personnel for fraud.