A disturbance occurred on Monday when an email containing bomb threats reached twenty-eight government offices in the Philippines.
The said email was sent by an individual, identified as Takahiro Karasawa, who claims to be a lawyer from the Steadiness Law Office in Japan.
Philippine Government agencies that received the threats include the Office of the Vice President, Department of Education, Department of Tourism, Commission of Audit, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Information, Communication, and Technology, Commission on Higher Education, and National Housing Authority.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center stated that the Philippines is now collaborating with Japan to identify the source of the bomb threats.
“We have asked the Japanese representative today to help us put a stop to this. In fact, the one hosting the email server, we requested that if they can conduct an internal investigation in Japan, why such content could proliferate coming from Japan. And they said they will coordinate with the necessary offices, to search Japan, to locate and put a stop to this,” Usec. Alexander Ramos, Executive Director, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said.
It was discovered that on September 8, 2023, ‘Takahiro’ also sent a bomb threat to the Philippine government, specifically targeting the MRT-3.
Just in December 2023, the same sender issued threats to the DBM, NEDA, DOLE, Napolcom, National Museum, and Pangil Elementary School.
However, Takahiro claimed that his email was hacked.
According to CICC, the bomb threats are considered a mere hoax or deception. Nevertheless, bomb threats need to be taken seriously.
“Well, this is the advice from us, from the Philippine National Police. Any bomb threat must be taken seriously, always, to prevent potential danger to the public. But their advice is, if you receive one, do not spread it. Let’s contain it and find out if the threat is real or a hoax. There are more people who will get hurt,” Usec. Alexander Ramos, Executive Director, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center stated.
Apart from the Philippines, similar bomb threats were also received by Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Malaysia.
