The Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry chaired by city councilor George Goking is set to ask City Mayor Oscar Moreno for the creation of “anti-scam task force” under his office to prevent the proliferation of online scam, loan sharks, and fraudulent companies.
This was the response made by City Councilor Goking last Friday after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC-10) is calling on the local government to regulate groups conducting seminars and lectures on cryptocurrencies and foreign exchange conducted over hotels in the city.
Goking said the increasing number of online and visual scam activities maliciously conducted in hotels and other public forums that obviously victimized individuals who had no clear knowledge over the new scheme presented.
“Ilad man gyud kini sa atubangan ilabi kadtong mga alleged business orientation nga mohatag gilayon sila og 30 percent return of investment or even double your money in a short period of time,” he said.
He said he would ask Moreno for the immediate creation under his office and identifying its membership, defining its duties and functions and for other purposes including a possible penalty to be imposed.
Goking said one of the possible function that they wanted to include over the Anti-Scam Task Force is to assist and coordinate with other government agencies in the conduct of investigations like what they did with the SEC-10, Anti-Cyber Crime Unit of the Police Regional Office-10 and the National Bureau of Investigation-10 on the issue of online scam.
He said those national government agencies currently conduct an in-depth investigation related to fraudulent business transactions and in building up cases against identified respondent scammers.
Last week, SEC-10 regional director Renato Egypto asked the city government after he observed that there were so many seminars on investments that are conducted in some hotels in the city by some groups claiming to be “experts” on these kinds of investment schemes.
Goking said the creation of the “Anti-Scam Task Force” will also serve as a receiving unit of the complaint and assist the victims to file immediate action related to any business transactions treated with fraud or alleged to have been engaged by the so-called scammers.
“Gi-target gyud nila karon ang Cagayan de Oro and nearby municipalities in Misamis Oriental kay nag-develop naman kita karon and then klaro kaayo nga a lot of business investors are coming in. Misakay gilayon sila,” he said.
He said regional officials of the SEC-10, PRO-10, and NBI-10 has already issued some advices to investors to be cautious in investing their money and to avoid being a victim of investment scams.
“Apil na atong gukdon ang mga nag-pautang nga walay mga business permits ilabi na loan sharks,” he added. (Lito Rulona)
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