NBI: 12 Chinese scammers, 5 Pinoys who offered bribe for their release nabbed

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) collared 12 Chinese men for alleged scamming activities in Tambo, Parañaque City and five Filipinos who offered bribes for the release of the arrested foreigners.

In a statement Tuesday, the NBI said its agents and Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel discovered and arrested the 12 Chinese during an operation on January 8, 2025. Authorities implemented a mission order to verify and investigate foreign nationals for alleged violation of the Philippine Immigration Act.

Recovered from the office of the Chinese were romance or love scam scripts, messaging applications with fictitious accounts, bank accounts, and evidence of fraudulent cryptocurrency scams and fake investment schemes.

As the apprehended foreigners were being prepared to be brought to the NBI office, a Filipino-Chinese claiming to be an interpreter offered to come with them.

He then told NBI agents that two of the arrested men were offering to pay P300,000 for each of the 12 Chinese, or a total of P3.6 million in bribe money.

"Operatives agreed to such arrangement in order to make it appear that operatives concur with the offer," the NBI said in a statement.

Two days later on January 10, authorities arrested four Filipino men who brought the money for bribing the arresting officers.

The 12 Chinese men underwent inquest proceedings at the Paranaque City Prosecutor's Office for computer-related forgery under the Cybercrime Prevention Act, and economic sabotage under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act.

The five Filipinos, meanwhile, were presented for inquest before the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office for corruption of public officials.

In John Consulta’s Tuesday report on “24 Oras,” P900,000 was recovered during the Filipinos’ arrest. The money was intended to free the first batch of three Chinese men.

“Nakikiusap na tubusin nila na P300,000 per head. E ‘di sinakyan ng mga agent natin para sa 12. Ang ginawa nila nag batch by batch sila,” NBI Director Jaime Santiago said.

(They requested to free the Chinese men for P300,000 per head and the agent went along. They will free the Chinese men per batch.)

The raided office in Parañaque was a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub, NBI said.

The NBI said the over 400 arrested foreign citizens came from the now closed Island Cove compound and were transferred to a private subdivision.

“Yung iba sa kanila supervisor ang status, yung iba may tatlong boss dyan. We found out that they will engage in love scams, investment scams, and crypto scams. Isa dito sa Pinoy yung pinapakita sa Congress na pumapalo ng nakatali,” said Jeremy Lotoc, NBI Cybercrime Division chief.

(Some of them are supervisors while others have three bosses. We found out they will engage in love scams, investment scams, and crypto scams. One of them is the Pinoy shown in Congress beating someone.)

“Isa po sa Filipino subjects na nahuli natin executed an extrajudicial confession, with the help of the counsel, at inamin na may isang Chinese national na tumatayong big boss nitong mga tinutubos at siya din nag produce ng pera,” said Agent Van Homer Angluben, executive officer of the NBI-Cybercrime Division.

(One of the Filipino subjects we caught executed an extra-judicial confession, with the help of counsel, and admitted there is a Chinese national who is the big boss of these arrested people and he was the one who produced the money.)

The suspect who brought the money said their boss called him to go to a location to pick up some people and gave him an eco bag filled with cash.

He added that he was unaware of what was inside the eco bag when it was handed to him.

According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) 80% of the 400 illegal POGO hubs it was monitoring have fully ceased operations in 2024.

However, PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz said they are still chasing those engaged in small-scale POGO activities.

This year, PAOCC said it has deported 27,000 POGO workers.

Cruz said foreigners who are still working are considered undesirable aliens since their working visas have already lapsed. They only have tourist visas.

He added PAOCC continues its operations and has received reports of POGO operations in Northern Luzon and the Visayas.

“In groups of 20-50, nagbubuo sila. Nagre-rent sila sa mga dalawang kwarto. Gumagawa na ulit sila ng scamming activities,” Cruz said. 

(They work in groups of about 20 to 50 people. They rent two rooms to continue engaging in scamming activities.
— Mariel Celine Serquiña/ VDV/RF, GMA Integrated News