MMDA seeks BSP, AMLC help to cut NCAP scam payment channels

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is seeking the help of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to disrupt payment channels being used by scammers preying on motorists amid the return of the No Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP).

MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said the agency had already filed a complaint with the National Bureau of Investigation and coordinated with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center over fraudulent NCAP schemes.

“Siguro po ang better way now ay mag-coordinate po sa BSP or sa Anti-Money Laundering Council,” Artes said during a press conference in Pasig on Tuesday.

“Dahil hindi naman po magt-trive yan kung hindi nila nakukuha yung bayad,” he added.

The MMDA chief said DICT had been taking down scam websites reported by the agency, but new ones continued to emerge.

“But again, sulpot na sulpot eh,” he said, adding that the MMDA's immediate role was to warn motorists so they would not fall victim to the schemes.

The MMDA chief said scammers had recently shifted to targeting credit cards. He warned that motorists could be exposed to bigger losses when fraudulent payment sites ask for one-time passwords.

Artes said the agency was also discussing integration of local government NCAP systems under eGov so motorists could eventually use a single platform to verify violations.

The warning came as Manila resumed its NCAP operations, with Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso saying he would pursue the program despite concerns surrounding its implementation.

During the city's dry run, just two cameras recorded 190 traffic violations, Moreno said.

The MMDA, meanwhile, said it had flagged about 1.5 million violations since it began implementing NCAP last year, with more than 500,000 subsequently confirmed. The agency said the violations were reported to Malacañang and the Supreme Court.