TWO individuals were arrested over the sale of fake money online.
In a press conference, Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti Cybercrime Group (ACG) director Brigadier General Bernard Yang said the two suspects were arrested in an entrapment operation in Las Piñas City on July 2, 2025.
He said the operation stemmed from a report by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas regarding the rampant online sale of fake currency.
Yang said through intensified cyber patrolling efforts, investigators came across a social media post by one of the suspects offering a counterfeit P1,000 bill for sale at P150.
A total of 150 counterfeit P1,000 bills were confiscated during the operation.
Charges for violating Article 168 (Illegal Possession and Use of False Treasury or Bank Notes and Other Instruments of Credit), in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), will be filed against the arrested individuals, who are former employees of the now-banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos).
“They started selling these fake money nung nag-stop na sila sa Pogo. So kaya nga meron pa kaming tinitingnan. Sabi ko itong dalawang tao na nahuli natin ay baka meron pa mas malaki na tao,” said Yang.
“Meron kaming tinitingnan dito, kaya lang, we don’t want to divulge the other details dahil baka makatunog na yung mga nasa likod nito. Pero maganda yung tinitingnan natin dito. There is a possibility of a future operation pa,” he added.
In a statement, Lawyer Mark Fajardo of the Payment and Currency Investigation of the BSP said the illegal sale of fake money could badly impact the country’s economy.
“Itong pagkalat ng fake money tantamount to what we call an economic sabotage. No. 1, lugi. Kawawa ‘yung mga ordinaryong mamamayan natin na nabibiktima. Ito ‘yung mga nagbebenta lang ng saging sa gilid. Ito ‘yung mga nagbebenta ng isda sa palengke kung saan susuklian nila ‘yung pekeng pinambayad. Lugi na sila, hindi pa nila maipapalit kasi hindi nila papalitan ng bangko ang pekeng pera, so ang burden nito ‘yung nakatanggap,” Fajardo said.
(The spread of fake money is tantamount to what we call economic sabotage. First of all, it's a loss. Our ordinary citizens who fall victim are the ones who suffer—those selling bananas on the roadside, those selling fish in the market, where they unknowingly give change for fake bills. They’ve already lost money, and they can’t even exchange it because banks won’t accept counterfeit money. So the burden falls on the person who received it.)
“Nagkakaroon kasi ng unauthorized number of supply ng pera na kumakalat sa ekonomiya, tataas ang bilihin. So malaki ang epekto nito sa ating ekonomiya, and also, kapag fake money kasi, sabi ni Gen. is kadugtong sa kriminalidad -- Pogo, election, sugal, marami pang gagamitan yan. So, tinitingnan natin ano ba yung purpose nung mga nagbebenta at bumibili,” he added.
(This leads to an unauthorized increase in the money supply circulating in the economy, which can cause prices to rise. So it has a significant impact on our economy. Also, as Gen. said, counterfeit money is often linked to criminal activities -- Pogo, elections, gambling, and many other illegal uses. That’s why we’re looking into the purpose behind those selling and buying it.)
The PNP-ACG urges the public to be wary of fake money. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)