‘Napatawad ko na’: Scam victims move on and leave fraud cases hanging

Already have Rappler+? Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. Naka-move on na po ako eh. Okay na po, napatawad ko na. (I’ve already moved one. It’s okay, I’ve forgiven them.) It’s a prosecutor’s nightmare to hear those words from a scam victim. Yet that’s exactly the predicament Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Cybercrime Assistant Director Chris Jark Ace Maño has faced, recalling how complainants would often lose interest just as prosecutors were ready to bring their scammers to court.