THE police have not established that the Taiwanese and Chinese nationals involved in online fraud have Filipino counterparts, according to a police official.
Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 said the foreigners operated in Cebu City without local partners.
The leader of the suspects, however, has been identified.
Operatives composed of different units under the PRO 7 arrested 69 Taiwanese and Chinese nationals who operated call centers in different barangays in Cebu City last Sept. 8.
The suspects, who are from Taiwan and People’s Republic of China, allegedly blackmailed their fellow countrymen by telling them that their bank accounts have been involved in money laundering case or in other serious crimes.
Transfer
They then persuade them to transfer all their money to a so-called “security bank account” of a financial supervision center while undergoing investigation.
Most of the victims are businessmen, police said.
Before the arrests, Bañas received a letter from Taipei Economic and Cultural Office executive assistant Jerry Chih-Yung Wang last June, asking the PRO 7 to investigate the suspects.
Internet protocol
They were located after the Internet protocol (IP) addresses were found in Cebu City.
Yesterday, Lawas said an officer from the PRO 7-Regional Intelligence Division facilitated the turnover of the suspects to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) 7.
The BI 7 will conduct summary deportation proceedings against the foreigners.
Lawas urged the public to report to authorities any foreigners with suspicious movements.
“We need support from the community. We should be vigilant...for the sake of security. Being vigilant can be a deterrent to a crime,” he said.