Complaint Review: Bastion Payment Systems Corporation - Simoun Ung - Paul Pasion - Rene Valencia - Wilfred G.Tan

Bastion and its officers were not in any way involved with the illegal activities described in the complaint posted in the RipOffReport.  The complaint posted in the RipOffReport was a crude and malicious edit of an actual news story found in the MANILA BULLETIN on July 8, 2009.  The person(s) posting the complaint replaced the names of the actual perpetrators with the names of  employees and officers of Bastion and MobiClear.

The text of the actual news article from the MANILA BULLETIN is below:

NBI investigates credit card fraud syndicate
By JEAMMA A. SABATE
July 8, 2009, 6:39pm | Manila Bulletin

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) started expanding its probe into the credit card fraud after uncovering that the arrested Nigerians who managed to hack the merchant website to get vital information of the credit card holders.

Head Agent Palmer Mallari, executive officer of the NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD), said they are tracing possible cohorts of the Nigerians who used three schemes to carry out their illegal activities.

Last Friday, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested four Nigerians engaged in purchasing plane tickets through fraudulently acquired credit cards in an operation in Cavite.

The local aviation industry lost an estimated five (5) million US dollars in the past three years not just because of credit card fraud syndicates.

“There are three ways to fraudulently acquire credit cards, one thru stealing the credit card, another through the use of skimming devices, and thru internet hacking of the merchant website,” said Mallari.

Mallari said the arrested Nigerians and other syndicates engaged in the credit card fraud were able to hack the merchant website.

“Information in the merchant website is encrypted and the internet hackers managed to decrypt the info. Of course not all info in the merchant web can easily accessed by syndicates like the big companies, because they have measures to protect their clients but in some instances; the syndicates succeed in decrypting the info,” said Palmer.

Palmer said the NBI would continue to go after Nigerians’ cohorts and other syndicates to protect the merchants as well as travelers who are using on-line in buying airline tickets.

“PAL, the local aviation industry and the NBI are taking this problem seriously and we are working to have a much clearer picture on how they work,” he said.

Captain Reuben Steinberg, PAL vice president for Safety, Security, and Environment, said the PAL and other local airlines have lost a total of five (5) million US dollars to all syndicates, including the Nigerians.

Steinberg called on the travelers and passengers to be on guard against these syndicates by buying airline tickets through official airlines ticketing centers or make an inquiry at the airline website.

NBI Director lawyer Nestor M. Mantaring identified the suspects as Benson Alochukwa Onwuama, alias “Unchenna Ekeyi, 27; Rotini Mumuni Oladapo, 36; Robinson Adatire, 52, and Olarewaju Mojeed Ayegbusi, 24, all residents of Cecilio Apartment, Looban St., Anivan V., Bacoor, Cavite.

The fifth suspect identified as Alochukwu Bartholomew Onwuala, 26, is at large.

Assistant Regional Director (ARD) Vicente de Guzman III, chief of the NBI Anti- Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD), said the arrest stemmed from the complaints lodged by the Philippine Airlines (PAL) regarding the purchases of PAL electronic airline tickets using what appeared to be stolen/closed credit cards.

The group’s operandi started when prospective travelers inquired thru the Internet regarding cheap airline tickets.

The group posing as traveling agents or free lancer agents would post their services and a corresponding number is given to the prospective travelers.

When the contact person thru that number is established, the prospective buyer/victim would be enticed to purchase the airline ticket at a cheaper price.

Once the prospective traveler/victim agreed, the Nigerians would access the on-line booking system of the airline company and buy an e-ticket using the itinerary details given by the passenger.

On-line payment is made through “credit card.” The agreed price shall be sent by the purchaser to suspect subject through the facility of the remittance center or thru personal meeting.

On the other hand, the e-ticket obtained would be sent to passenger in most cases through the e-mail address of the passenger, including a photocopy of the “credit card” used..

During investigation, the NBI found out that Onwuama using other aliases “Dave” and “David” sold PAL e-ticket on April, 2009 to Mylene M. Heitkamp, a passenger bound to Los Angeles, USA for a round trip ticket scheduled on April 15, 2009.

The passenger and the suspect transacted online and on April 13, 2009 when Onwuama handed to Heitkamp a round trip PAL e-ticket the credit card used in purchasing the PAL e-ticket to be presented when the ticket counter requested for the same upon check in.

The suspect offered Heitkamp an opportunity to sell airline tickets for extra income, even opening his laptop computer for the purpose of proving his offer to sell e-tickets.

On her departure, Mylene was stopped at Terminal 2 as her tickets were supposedly paid for by fraudulently acquired credit cards.

After paying in cash, Mylene departed and came back to Manila, offering to be a witness against Onwuama in the complaint filed by PAL.

Mylene set a meeting between her and Onwuama last June 25, 2009 where PAL and the NBI operatives conducted surveillance. Onwuama appeared to be courting Mylene and Nigerian’s illegal activity was further exposed including their hideouts.

On July 3, 2009, operatives of the AFCCD operatives served search warrants issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) on the premises of the suspects.