NBI nabs 7 Chinese nationals for credit card fraud, bribery

MANILA, Philippines — Seven Chinese nationals were arrested in the cities of Parañaque and Quezon due to credit card fraud and bribery of law enforcement officials for their release, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Tuesday.

The foreign nationals were classified as a Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) group which cashed out money through socially engineered credit card credentials drawn from their victims’ accounts which mostly are offshore accounts, according to the NBI.

The NBI added that the TOC group sought Point-of-Sale devices and offered their accomplices 20% of the converted cash amount to expedite their cash outs.

According to NBI Director Jamie Santiago, several complaints had been filed with the NBI-Cybercrime Division, detailing various fraudulent activities such as vishing, smishing, phishing, click-baiting, pretexting and whaling. 

He added that these activities led to unauthorized access and utilization of victims' credit card credentials without their knowledge.

Acting on this information, NBI operatives posed as individuals possessing the required POS device and expressed willingness to collaborate. A meeting was arranged to execute the scheme.

On July 27, 2024, the operatives launched an entrapment operation in Parañaque City, leading to the arrest of two Chinese nationals, Sun Jie and Lee Ching Ho. 

Sun Jie attempted to bribe the operatives, offering P1.5 million for their release and the dismissal of criminal charges.

The operatives played along with the bribery attempt and planned another entrapment operation.

Later that same night, the Chinese associates agreed to meet at the parking lot of the NBI Main Office in Quezon City for the exchange.

Subsequently, an individual whose appearance resembled a Chinese national exited one of the two vehicles that arrived at the parking lot handing a bag of money to one of the operatives and requesting the release of Sun Jie and Lee Ching Ho. 

The NBI operatives arrested the individual and his accomplices inside the vehicles. 

During a search, three handguns and a military-grade smoke grenade were discovered. The suspects were also unable to produce licenses or documentation for the firearms.

Sun Jie and Lee Ching Ho have been charged for violating the Access Devices Regulation Act and Corruption of Public Officials under the Revised Penal Code.

Meanwhile, other accomplices, Jenny Pan, Zhao Zheng, Dong Jianhua, Yuan Bien and Shao Wen Hu will also face charges for violating the Corruption of Public Officials provision of the RPC and the Comprehensive Firearm and Ammunition Act.