Lawmen arrested in Quezon City the other day a Bulgarian, allegedly associated with the so-called “king of hackers” who once managed to steal thousands of dollars from the accounts of Microsoft founder, billionaire Bill Gates.
Combined elements of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) nabbed Konstantin Simeonov Kavrakov, 32, around 9 p.m. Thursday in Barangay Paligsahan, QC.
The team led by Inspector Cedric de Guzman pounced on Kavrakov while in the act of withdrawing money using various counterfeit bank cards at an ATM machine of a bank on Scout Reyes Street in Barangay Paligsahan.
PAOCC Executive Director Reginald D. Villasanta said Kavrakov is now facing charges for violation of Republic Act 8484 or the Access Device Regulations Act.
The Bulgarian’s arrest came in the wake of “Jugador,” a PAOCC-initiated project targeting groups of foreign nationals engaged in cyber fraud and illegal online gaming. In this operation, the PAOCC teamed up with the CIDG’s Anti-Fraud and Other Commercial Crimes Unit.
Recovered from the suspect were nine pieces of ATM receipts from the bank, all dated April 9, 2015; seven credit cards under the names of various people; and a blank Gold blank card with black magnetic strips; one mobile phone, and a shoulder bag containing P76,570 cash.
The PAOCC and the PNP-CIDG are still checking the date Kavrakov arrived in the country and the places where he stayed.
“We’re also looking at other possible companions of Kavrakov when he arrived in Manila,” said Villasanta, who said their information also came from the CIDG, headed by Director Benjamin B. Magalong, and their foreign counterparts.
These pieces of information indicate the presence of European nationals engaged in the production and use of counterfeit ATM cards and other cybercrime activities in the country and other parts of Asia, said Villasanta.
Kavrakov, according to Interpol reports, is engaged in ATM/credit card fraud and cloning.
Manila Bulletin
