Call center agent nabbed for ‘sextortion’

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A call center agent is facing multiple charges for allegedly blackmailing and threatening to expose nude photos and videos of a 19-year-old student here.

Police Major Joery Puerto, head of Police Station 8, said charges for grave threat, acts of lasciviousness, and violation of Republic Act (RA) 9995 or the “Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009,” were filed yesterday against Dennis James Traza, 24, of Barangay Mansilingan here.

Puerto said that Traza allegedly posed as a foreigner on a dating site where he met the victim.

Traza then allegedly asked the victim to send him her nude photos and videos, in exchange for P10,000, the station commander added.

Puerto said the victim agreed, believing that he is a foreigner and because of monetary reasons.

But after the victim sent him the photos and videos, the suspect did not pay her, and instead, he threatened her.

Puerto said the suspect and the victim have been communicating online for more than a month now.

The victim reported the incident to the police as she feared for her safety, prompting authorities to launch the entrapment operation.

Puerto said they advised the victim to meet with the suspect on Tuesday night.

During their meet-up, the suspect invited the victim to a lodging house in Barangay Singcang-Airport here. The victim agreed as part of the plan to arrest the suspect.

Puerto said the suspect will only allow the victim to delete her nude photos and videos on his cellular phone if she will go with him to the lodging house.

Police then arrested the suspect and recovered from him a cellular phone, which will be subjected to forensic examination.