DICT Responds After Scam Hub Video in Cebu Goes Viral

A scam call center operating in Cebu might have continued its shady operations if not for one determined YouTuber, and a viral video.

White hat hacker and content creator mrwn spent over a year infiltrating a Philippine-based investment scam hub. He managed to hack into their systems, gather internal documents, record phone calls, monitor CCTV feeds, and collect undeniable evidence of fraud.

But when he tried to report the whole thing to Philippine authorities through email, the response was almost non-existent. Only the Department of Justice’s cybercrime office got back to him, and instead of acting on the evidence, they told him to file a notarized affidavit in person. That’s a pretty unhelpful reply for someone who doesn’t even live in the Philippines.

We hereby acknowledge receipt of your email. After reviewing its contents, we believe it would be most appropriate for you to file a formal complaint with our law enforcement agencies. In order to initiate an investigation, a formal complaint is required. Please note that under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, our office, the DOJ - Office of Cybercrime (D0J-O0C), is not a law enforcement agency.

For the best course of action, we recommend that you directly file your complaint with either the NBI Cybercrime Division, located at Filinvest Cyberzone Bay, Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City, or the PNP Ant-Cybercrime Group at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

We kindly suggest referring to the following links for their respective contact details:

NBI - http://nbi.gov.ph/transparency-seal/nbi-divisions

PNP-ACG - https://acg.pnp.gov.ph/contact-us/

When filing your complaint, please make sure to comply with the following requirements:

1) A notarized complaint affidavit providing a written account of the incident.

2) Relevant attachments that will serve as evidence to support your complaint.

Additionally, if it is more convenient for you, you may also consider filing a complaint at the nearest Regional Ant-Cybercrime Unit of the PNP-ACG.

Should you have any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you and best regards,

Department of Justice - Office of Cybercrime

Padre Faura St, Ermita, Manila, 1000

Frustrated, mrwn went directly to the scammers. On May 6, he contacted the employees and managers, sent them real-time CCTV screenshots from inside their office, and told them exactly what he knew. The next day, the whole call center went offline. Then, on May 18, he posted the full story on YouTube in a video titled “Scammers PANIC After Getting Hacked Live On CCTV!”

It wasn’t until after that video started gaining traction online that Philippine agencies took visible action. On May 20, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) held a virtual press briefing, publicly addressing the issue and denying that they had ignored the situation.

DICT Assistant Secretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso admitted that mrwn’s experience showed there are still challenges in how complaints are handled. He made it clear that the government does not turn a blind eye to cybercrime and even extended an invitation for ethical hackers and scam-busting content creators like mrwn, Pierogi, Jim Browning, Kitboga, and others to collaborate with the DICT and CICC.

Paraiso encouraged advocates to report leads through official channels like dict.gov.ph and cicc.gov.ph, promising that the government would act on credible information. He called this collaborative approach “Digital Bayanihan,” stressing that it takes a united effort, from individuals to civic groups, to tackle cybercrime in the country.

The DICT also shared plans to turn the CICC’s threat monitoring center, previously deployed during the 2025 elections, into a permanent operation targeting scams and illegal recruitment schemes.

As for whether ethical hackers like mrwn would be protected legally, Paraiso said they're working on both a framework and policies to safeguard those acting in good faith.

While the government's call for cooperation sounds promising, the fact remains: if the video hadn’t exploded online, it’s very possible no action would have been taken. This case shows how public pressure can still be the strongest tool for change, even in the digital age.