MANILA, Philippines -- Police have busted an alleged online romance scam hub in Manila, arresting 30 Filipinos, eight Chinese nationals, and one Taiwanese, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) announced on Friday.
The alleged scam hub, which had been operating from three condominium units in Malate for the past year, was raided early Thursday morning, PNP-ACG Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.
Police confiscated 231 subscriber identity module (SIM) cards from local and international telecommunications firms, 200 smartphones, 36 computers, two routers, and two modems during the operation, according to the ACG.
The raid was conducted through a search warrant issued by a Manila court, following information provided by a concerned citizen, Yang said.
"When Pogo (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) operations were stopped, some splintered into smaller groups and shifted to guerrilla-type operations. This group came from one of the major syndicates dismantled by the ACG last year," Yang explained in Filipino without elaborating on the earlier case.
The government ordered the shutdown of Pogo operations last December.
According to Yang, the syndicate had one subgroup of Filipinos who scouted for potential foreign victims on social media and dating apps, while another subgroup lured the targets by engaging them in online romantic relationships.
"Once they gained the victims' trust, the Chinese nationals would take over, especially when the targets started discussing supposed investment opportunities," Yang said in Filipino.
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He added that while the police have yet to track down all the group's victims through a digital forensic examination of the devices seized, they identified two victims who have given €40,000 (P2,723,480) and $10,000 (P586,340), respectively.
Yang said most of the arrested Filipinos were women.
Speaking to reporters while at the ACG's custodial facility, the arrested Filipinos said they were initially under the impression that the operation was a call center and that some of them came from outside Metro Manila, looking for income.
They said they were paid P22,000 a month for their work.
Meanwhile, according to the ACG, the arrested foreigners made up to P100,000 monthly.
Boss at large
Yang said one of the Chinese arrested was the "team leader" of the group, but that police had a bigger target.
"There is still a main boss we've been trying to catch, but we didn't find them there," the ACG director said in Filipino, without identifying the "boss."
The 30 Filipinos and nine foreigners arrested will face charges before the Department of Justice for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 8484, or the Access Devices Regulation Act; RA No. 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code and RA No. 8484; and RA No. 11934, or the SIM Registration Act.
The charges will all be in relation to RA No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Yang said.
READ: PNP-ACG: Most online scammers now are Filipinos who 'learned' from Pogos
When asked if the arrested foreigners would be deported, the ACG director declined to comment, saying the focus was on filing charges first.
"We are also coordinating with our embassy partners to check if any of those arrested have pending cases in their home countries and are avoiding leaving the Philippines," he said in Filipino.
Yang added that police are still determining the owner of the condominium units and whether the building management bears any liability for the alleged online romance scam hub.
Asked about the extent of remaining "guerrilla" Pogo operations, Yang said in Filipino, "We don't have exact data on how many are still active. But based on reports we're receiving, a few continue to operate. They're being monitored, though most have already left." /mcm