Money lost to skimmers: Ex-judge gets refund, others are still waiting

CEBU, Philippines - Retired Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Meinrado Paredes yesterday received P100,000 as full refund of the money he lost from his Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) account to alleged automated teller machine (ATM) skimmers.

“Yes, gi-restore nila. Gitawagan ko og sayo ganina, and when I checked, it’s already there,” he told The FREEMAN in a phone interview.

It was a different fate, however, for the rest of the government officers who also lost money to ATM skimming.

Superintendent Ryan Devaras, chief of the Investigation and Detection Management Bureau of the Cebu City Police Office, said he has not received any refund yet from LBP.

“Wala pa man, waiting pa mi,” said Devaras, who lost P30,000 from his LBP account to alleged ATM skimmers.

The officials and employees of the Population Commission (PopCom)-7 and the National Food Authority (NFA)-7 also said they have not received their refund yet as of yesterday.

NFA-7 Information Officer Olma Marie Bayno said that none among their four employees, who were victims of the ATM skimming, have received a refund.

"Wala pa man sad mi gi-inform sa Land Bank about sa refund," Bayno said.

PopCom-7 Regional Director Bruce Ragas, who received a text message from the bank informing him that he can already get his refund, said no money has been credited to his account yet.

"I received a text from Land Bank that they already approved my claim for refund. Once a minor paperwork requirement is done, they will credit back the amount," said Ragas.

PopCom-7 Information Officer Sheryl Ygay said about 25 employees surrendered their ATM cards yesterday to Land Bank after they were informed by a bank representative that their cards were alerted as "hot cards."

Paredes, for his part, said he filed the claim with the bank last March 13 and was told to wait for two to three months to get the refund.

“Apparently, wala na kaabot ana (I did not have to wait that long),” he said.

He then thanked Land Bank’s branch in Capitol Site for what he described was “a quick restoration of his money,” adding that the bank’s workers were very polite and accommodating.

Aside from filing a report with Land Bank, Paredes also filed a separate complaint for theft and violation of RA 8484, the law that regulates the issuance and use of access devices and prohibits fraudulent acts committed in connection with such use, against the three Romanians arrested for alleged ATM skimming.

Devaras said LBP assured him that they will get a refund after within two to three months.

He said he and his police colleagues understand that the government-owned bank is currently doing an investigation and they are doing their best to refund their earnings. — John M. Destacamento, Christell Fatima M. Tudtud, Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon (FREEMAN)