Japanese wanted for alleged swindling nabbed, faces deportation —BI

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said it has arrested and will deport a Japanese national who is wanted in Tokyo for allegedly swindling almost 3 million yen through voice phishing. 

According to BI, the 39-year-old Japanese national and his accomplices would make phone calls to victims and inform them that transferring the right to enter a nursing home is a crime. 

Due to this, the BI said victims are persuaded to give them 2.75 million yen or more than $17,000 through postal mail.

“He will be deported after our board of commissioners has issued the order for his summary deportation,” Immigration Commissioner Joel Viado said in a statement.

“He will be placed in our immigration blacklist and perpetually banned from re-entering the Philippines for being an undesirable alien,” he added.

Viado said the BI’s fugitive search unit arrested the foreigner in Binondo, Manila on January 2, Thursday.

He said the arrest was conducted upon the request of the Japanese government, which informed the BI about the foreigner’s presence in the country.

A summary court in Omiya, Japan issued a warrant of arrest against the foreigner in May 2024, according to the Bureau.

Meanwhile, the foreign national is detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.—Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA Integrated News