Last Friday, the National Bureau of Investigation arrested five people connected to the recent hacking of BDO online accounts. This was after an entrapment operation was carried out to identify the culprits.
The group included two Nigerians named Ifesinachi Fountain Anaekwe and Chukwuemeka Peter Nwadi and three Filipinos named Jherom Anthony Taupa y Diawan Ronelyn Panaligan, and Clay Revillosa. An informant who had previously conducted business with the organization offered information to the NBI, resulting in the capture and detention of the five suspects.
The arrested individuals, dubbed the “Mark Nagoyo” group, refused to make any statements about the BDO hack when questioned by authorities or the media.
Around 700 BDO accounts were hacked in November/December 2021, and money was transferred to a UnionBank account under the name of Mark Nagoyo, prompting an inquiry by the BSP and the NBI. This current event is one of the largest in the Philippine financial sector, with cryptocurrency serving as the ultimate conduit of funds.