PNP, NBI to request for digital forensics budget

By Alexander Villafania
INQ7.net

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are teaming up to request for additional budget to build both agencies’ digital forensics infrastructure.

NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD) Director Atty. Elfren Meneses told INQ7.NET that both agencies would be meeting within two weeks to discuss a memorandum of agreement (MOA) wherein the NBI and PNP would coordinate to build their digital forensics infrastructure.

The PNP and NBI would then file a request for budget from the e-Government Fund through the Office of the President and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT).

No definite amount has been set but Meneses said the NBI would need at least 20 million pesos a year for the next three years to properly build its laboratories.

Meneses said this would be the first time that the NBI would make a request for budget from the e-Government Fund.

He noted that most of the NBI-AFCCD’s equipment was donated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. “We couldn’t rely too much on donation. We have to build our own infrastructure.”

PNP Anti-Transnational Crime Division of the Philippines (ATCD) Superintendent Gilbert Sosa confirmed the plans for a request for budget. He said the ATCD had previously requested for budget but they have not received any from the e-Government Fund.

The PNP-ATCD and the NBI-AFCCD have been building up their digital forensics infrastructure specifically for high-tech crimes such as hacking incidents and network fraud.

http://news.inq7.net/infotech/index.php?in...&story_id=70237

Got to be prepared :thumb:

Arraignment of alleged Filipino hacker set this week

By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net



THE ARRAIGNMENT of a former call center employee found to have allegedly broken into a company's computer system to steal credit card information has been scheduled this week following several postponements, INQ7.net learned.

Jeffric Carlos Abiera, a resident of San Juan, Metro Manila, faces criminal charges for violation of the Republic Act 8792 or the E-commerce Law.

His arraignment was originally scheduled April 24, 2006 but was postponed to May 2 and then to May 4, 2006, records at Branch 33 of the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court show.

According to criminal case No. 132463, Abiera allegedly hacked into the Sitel Philippines Corp. System sometime December 2005 to illegally secure credit card information from Sitel USA.

He later allegedly used this to purchase goods online.

The Department of Justice filed a criminal case against Abiera on January 20, 2006, and bail was set at 25,000 pesos.

Court records also show that a certain Mary Fe Hasan, president of Fastnet Communications, was among the early complainants whose affidavit was eventually used by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice to subsequently file criminal charges against Abiera.

Section 33a of the Electronic Commerce Law provides penalties for hacking, cracking or the unauthorized access into or interference in a computer system/server or information and communication system.

Violation of this provision carries a minimum fine of 100,000 pesos and a maximum commensurate to the damage incurred, and a mandatory imprisonment of 6 months to three 3 years.

http://news.inq7.net/infotech/index.php?in...&story_id=74447

In this high- tech era, serious and extraordinary crimes can be committed by just clicking the mouse.

German wanted for fraud via Internet nabbed

By RIZAL S. OBANIL

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced yesterday the arrest of a German national who allegedly managed to dupe thousands of Euros through the e-bay on the Internet.

Viktor Graff Kolvenbach, 47, who is said to be facing 67 counts of large-scale money fraud in Germany, will be turned over to the custody of the Bureau of Immigration for summary deportation proceedings.

NBI Interpol chief, lawyer Claro de Castro said Kolvenbach was apprehended by NBI agents after a week-long surveillance of his house at Block 14, Lot 17, Phase 1 City Homes Subdivision, Damariñas, Cavite.

De Castro said they were able to determine the whereabouts of Kolvenbach by tracing his e-bay account. Through the notice of suspension of his e-bay account, NBI agents were also able to learn the e-mail address, IP address, residence and even the contact number of the suspect.

After obtaining the said information, agents conducted a surveillance of Kolvenbach at his home address.

During the surveillance operation, the NBI noted the license plate number (PAY-151) of a vehicle spotted at the address and had it checked out with the Land Transportation Office.

NBI agents then used the information they gathered and coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration for the service of a Decree of Withdrawal – the equivalent of the cancellation of passport – from the German Embassy.

The arrest of the suspect was actually requested by the German police who also provided leads and other vital information on Kolvenback’s whereabouts.

‘’He was found to be overstaying and because of the standing warrants against him, he is considered an undesirable alien,’’ De Castro said.

It was learned that Kolvenbach had been luring prospective clients from Europe through the Internet and has managed to acquire 80,000 Euros (about US2,000) from his supposed victims.

De Castro said the suspect might have opted to operate in the Philippines to avoid detection from the German authorities.

http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN2006052064557.html

High Tech crimes cannot linger for a while because it can also be solved by High Tech
crime busting.

Interpol wants regional response centers vs cybercrime
09/12/2007 | 05:20 PM

NEW DELHI - Interpol proposed on Wednesday the creation of global and regional anti-crime centers to fight criminal activity online and respond quickly to emergency cybercrime alerts.

The Internet should not be allowed to become a no man's land where criminals have the upper hand and can escape punishment, Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble told an international cybercrimes conference in New Delhi.

Officials from 37 countries discussed identity theft, online bank fraud, Internet gaming and the risks of online terrorist activity during a two-day conference in the Indian capital. It was organized by France-based Interpol, the world's largest international police organization, with 186 member countries.

Creating global and regional anti-crime centers ''is an ambitious idea, but we are determined to turn (it) into a reality because this problem is too big for even the G-8 and Council of Europe,'' Noble said. ''It requires a truly global response.''

The centers would help police around the world in investigations, training and accessing resources from a combined team of police officers and computer experts, he said.

Inaugurating the conference, Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil also called for international cooperation in combating Internet crimes.

Hacking, spoofing and botnet attacks - networks of PCs that are taken over remotely to spread spam over the Internet - are capable of causing serious security breaches in vital installations, Patil said.

''Globally, instances of money laundering through e-channels for terrorist funding have assumed menacing proportions,'' Patil said. - AP

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/60186/Interpol...s-vs-cybercrime