BI to deport Brit accused of internet fraud

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to deport an arrested British national accused of large-scale internet fraud and money laundering.

In a Wednesday statement, the bureau said its fugitive search unit (FSU) operatives arrested Calvin Jason Ainsworth, 24, at his Banawa, Cebu City home last Saturday by virtue of a mission order issued after a request from the UK's National Crime Agency.

BI chief Jaime Morente said in the statement that Ainsworth and his brother Jared William, who remains at large, reportedly profited from an online racket while in the Philippines, where they fled after being released on bail in their home country.

FSU chief Bobby Raquepo said that UK authorities suspect the pair amassed more than £400,000 from their victims through false representations via the internet.

The statement said Ainsworth was convicted in 2012 of defrauding individuals by selling non-existent goods via Facebook and eBay.

Ainsworth is detained at the BI's detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending his deportation. — BM, GMA News