BI nabs Korean national wanted for telecom fraud

MABALACAT CITY - Bureau of Immigration (BI) operatives arrested on Wednesday in this city a South Korean national charged with telecommunications fraud.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the alien as 35-year-old Kang Hee Woo, who was arrested in said city by elements from the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU).

Tansingco said Kang will be sent back to Seoul immediately as an order for his summary deportation was already issued by the BI Board of Commissioners in 2018,.

South Korean authorities informed the Bureau about his crimes, Tantingco said.

“It took almost five years of intensive manhunt and surveillance operations before we were able to arrest him. This serves as a warning to other foreign fugitives hiding in the Philippines. The long arm of the law will eventually catch you wherever you may be,” the BI chief added.

Tansingco said the Korean is also the subject of an Interpol red notice that was issued in 2021.

According to the Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila, Kang was issued separate arrest warrants by the Seoul Central District Court and Seoul Dongbu Central District Court for alleged involvement in telecom fraud.

Kang was accused of being a high-ranking member of the Youngjae-Han telecom fraud syndicate believed to have defrauded victims of more than 1,000,000,000 won, or roughly US$740,000.

The syndicate allegedly employed voice phishing operations through random calls to its victims in Korea.

The Korean is presently detained at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City while awaiting deportation.

He was placed in the Bureau’s blacklist and banned from re-entering the country.