85 nabbed in scam hub raid

MANILA, Philippines — Eighty-five people, including 69 foreigners, were rounded up when police raided an alleged online scam hub in Malate, Manila on Tuesday night.

Armed with a search warrant issued by a Manila court, a joint team from the police Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. swooped down on an information technology firm at the corner of Adriatico and Monica streets.

The suspects, 59 women and 26 men, were caught while doing live online operations. Of the number, 69 are foreigners.

Police said 34 of the foreigners are Indonesians, 25 are Chinese nationals and 10 are Malaysians.

One of the suspects, 23-year-old Qui Tian, was accused of illegally detaining and exploiting five Chinese nationals.

The victims identified as Peng Xiao; Wang Saixia, 39; Yang Longtao, 29; Ning Guobin, 32, and Kang Lei, 35, were found in the building’s 32nd floor, Metro Manila police chief Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia said.

Col. Jay Guillermo, who heads the ACG’s cyber response unit, said they have been investigating the IT firm for about three months after receiving reports that it is involved in love and cryptocurrency investment scams.

Investigation showed that the establishment has been operating illegally for nearly one year after its license was revoked in November 2023.

Using a website and prepared scripts, the suspects engaged foreigners and Filipinos who are seeking to have relationships online.

Police said once the victims could no longer give money, the suspects would close the cryptocurrency accounts. – Christine Joy Boton