POLICE have tightened monitoring of social networks and other online sites following reports that nude photos and sex videos are being sold supposedly to raise funds to support online distance learning.
Police Lt. Col. Artemio Ricabo, deputy chief of the Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit (RACU 7), said Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, that they have received reports that some students in Metro Manila were selling nude photos and sex videos to foreign online buyers so they can pay for online classes or buy gadgets needed for distance learning.
Ricabo said they were not ruling out the possibility that financially needy students in Cebu and Central Visayas have also resorted to such desperate acts amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
As of Monday, however, Ricabo said they have not found any posts selling nude photos or sex videos.
He assured that RACU 7 regularly conducts online patrols to thwart any illegal transactions.
“I advise parents and guardians to monitor their children and wards. I feel sorry for the kids because they are just trying to raise funds amid the pandemic,” Ricabo said.
He said some people are taking advantage of the children’s innocence and financial challenges amid the pandemic.
Unverified posts seeking financial help for the purchase of gadgets and other resources for online distance learning are flooding social networks as the Aug. 24 opening of classes draws near.
Ricabo urged the public to immediately report to his office any illegal transactions online. (GPL)