PNP warns fake Facebook account "Jose Melencio Corpuz" uses PNP chief Nartatez's photo
The PNP warns a fake Facebook account named Jose Melencio Corpuz uses PNP chief Nartatez's photo. It is not an official account and the chief is not involved.
- First reported
- Reports
- 1
Source: tribune.net.ph · published
What happened
The Philippine National Police (PNP) warned the public on 7 November 2026 against a fake Facebook account using the photograph of PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., according to the Daily Tribune. In an advisory, the PNP identified the account by the name Jose Melencio Corpuz and said it is not an official account of the police organisation or the Office of the Chief PNP. The PNP chief is impersonated and not involved, and the PNP said any messages, instructions or transactions made through the account are unauthorised.
How the scam works
Impersonation accounts that use a senior official's photo work by borrowing authority. A friend request or message that appears to come from the head of the national police can make people feel flattered or obliged, and fraudsters may follow up with requests for money, donations, personal information or favours, sometimes claiming an urgent situation or offering help with a case, a job or a permit. A slightly different surname, in this case Corpuz, lets the account avoid simple name searches while still looking familiar at a glance.
Such accounts may also be used to collect contacts, spread false announcements or lend credibility to other scams by appearing to endorse them. Senior officials do not normally ask members of the public for money or personal details through private messages. The report says the PNP did not identify the person behind the account.
The PNP urged the public not to communicate with the account, accept its friend requests or respond to its messages, particularly those asking for money, personal information or favours. Anyone who has been contacted should preserve screenshots of the conversation and report the account to Facebook and to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group. Official PNP announcements should be checked against the organisation's verified pages.
Source
Daily Tribune report, 7 November 2026: https://tribune.net.ph/2026/11/07/pnp-warns-public-vs-fake-account-using-chiefs-photo
Red flags
- A Facebook account using a senior official's photo under a slightly different name.
- Friend requests or messages from someone claiming to be a police chief.
- Requests for money, personal information or favours in private messages.
- Urgent stories or offers of special help from an official account you cannot verify.
If you were targeted
- 1Do not accept friend requests or reply to messages from the account Jose Melencio Corpuz.
- 2Never send money or personal details in response to private messages from officials.
- 3Check announcements only on the PNP's verified official pages.
- 4Keep screenshots and report the account to Facebook and the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group.