Philippines: Scammer impersonates NUJP chair

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has issued a warning not to respond to text messages from a fake profile impersonating the NUJP chair and Philstar journalist, Jonathan de Santos, attempting to solicit money from politicians. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) stands with its affiliate in condemning the scammer and calling for greater protections for journalists in the Philippines.

NUJP Chair Jonathan De Santos joins NUJP members, press freedom advocates, and human rights activists in condemning the killing of Percy Lapid in October 2022 in Manila. Credit: Twitter

On May 31, de Santos posted a screenshot of a text message conversation to social media between a fake profile impersonating himself and member of a politician’s staff. The scammer began with an introduction and greeting, listing de Santos’ titles and roles as the NUJP chair and Philstar journalist to appear authentic and credible.

The impersonator then wrote that the politician the staff member was employed by had “made a pledge” the previous year that he was “willing to help” the NUJP financially in an annual team building activity. A friend of de Santos alerted him to the incident, after he was approached by the politician’s staff member asking for verification of the account. De Santos also learned of two other incidents where the same scammer, using the fake account and number, had written to politicians asking for financial assistance.

In a statement on social media, de Santos wrote, “Firstly, I don’t text like this. Secondly, I don’t solicit money from politicians, or anyone really – not even my mum. Thirdly, NUJP doesn't solicit for activities... only for assistance like the Nonoy Espina Emergency Fund for Media Workers.”

In an alert, the NUJP warned people who received a text message from the number +639514553926 not to respond. “NUJP will never ask money from government officials to fund any of its activities,” the union said.

The media industry in the Philippines is continues to face significant threats, with the killing of radio broadcaster Cresenciano Bundoquin on May 31 by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen in the central Oriental Mindoro province, the latest in a number of violent attacks against journalists. Bundoquin was known for hard-hitting coverage of local issues and had reportedly received several threats before his death.

NUJP Chair Jonathan de Santos said: Someone pretending to be me has been sending text messages to solicit money for a "team building activity" supposedly for our national and regional officers. We have asked the officials targeted to warn people in their networks about the scam attempt. We have also written to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group about this. While NUJP does welcome financial support from the public and from allies of press freedom, we do not solicit directly. We do open calls for donations to the Nonoy Espina Emergency Fund for Media Workers and fundraising through campaigns like the Masked Media campaign.”

The IFJ said: “The scammer’s impersonation discredits the quality work of the real Jonathan de Santos and all Filipino journalists and media wokers. Incidents like these can result in distrust of the media, threatening the work and even the lives of journalists. The IFJ stands with the NUJP in condemning the fake profile and calls on the nation’s government to do more to protect journalists in the Philippines.”

For further information contact IFJ Asia - Pacific on [email protected]

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries

Twitter: @ifjasiapacific, on Facebook: IFJAsiaPacific and Instagram