NBI arrests 6 foreigners for illegally accessing bank accounts
Credit to Author: Mark Ernest Villeza| Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation announced yesterday the arrest of six foreign nationals accused of illegally accessing private bank accounts and transferring funds to accounts under their control.
Operatives from the NBI-National Capital Region carried out a warrant to search, seize and examine computer data at a condominium in Malate, Manila on Feb. 10.
The operation led to the arrest of the six suspects, who were allegedly engaged in cyber fraud activities.
Authorities launched the operation following the Feb. 4 arrest of a Chinese national and his Filipino interpreter in Makati.
The NBI said information gathered from the suspects’ alleged “love scam” hub in Makati was used to facilitate unauthorized fund transfers to a third-party bank account.
“They were illegally accessing the bank accounts belonging to several individuals and transferring the credits of such accounts to several accounts under their control,” the NBI said.
The suspects were presented for inquest proceedings before Manila prosecutors for violation of Section 4(a)(1) of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The NBI-Special Task Force also arrested 20 foreign nationals and rescued a Chinese national during a raid on an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) office in Parañaque on Feb. 25.
The operation stemmed from a complaint filed by the wife of the rescued victim, who told authorities that her husband was being held against his will by his employers at a POGO firm operating under the name LWE in a commercial building in Parañaque.
The victim, who worked as a customer service representative for the company, had allegedly been detained and threatened by his captors, led by Liu Zhi Tao, also known as Ren Jia.
The suspect faces charges for violating Article 267 (Serious Illegal Detention) of the Revised Penal Code, in addition to his involvement in online fraud schemes.
During the raid, NBI agents uncovered an operational scam hub inside the POGO office, where the arrested foreign nationals were allegedly engaged in various online scams, including love scams and cryptocurrency fraud.
As a result, the suspects were charged with violating Section 4(b)(1) (Social Engineering Schemes) of the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
NBI spokesman Ferdinand Lavin said the agency initially focused on rescuing the kidnap victim, but later discovered ongoing scamming operations at the site.
The arrested suspects have been presented for inquest proceedings before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Parañaque.