FROM hard hat to handcuffs
A total of 200 Vietnamese were rounded up during a raid conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against a scam hub discovered in Subic, Olongapo City.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the raid was conducted Thursday, October 22, by operatives of the bureau’s Pampanga District Office which served a Warrant to Search, Seize and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) issued by Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 73.
“We are working overtime in our fight against scam hubs and transnational online fraud,” stated Matibag who noted that the raid was done following a month-long surveillance and intelligence work of the facility.
In the meantime, the director said the bureau is screening every worker to determine who among them are victims of human trafficking.
In the meantime, Matibag said the NBI is also working with the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), and the Vietnamese Embassy for the welfare, documentation and repatriation of the 200 Vietnamese.
The director assured that those found involved in the operation and financing of the scam hub will be charged with violating the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
During the raid, NBI operatives seized computers, mobile phones and documents used to run the scam hub.
The bureau found that the scam hub was organized like a business with round-the-clock shifts and has been targeting victims in the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, and Bangladesh.
“We will not stop at seizing computers and scripts,” said Matibag.
The director said the NBI will look into bank accounts, e-wallets and people who rent them out.
“We are following the money from this facility to every account that carried it,” said the NBI chief.
“Anyone who lends an account to these operations will answer for it under the law,” he assured.
The director said the NBI has reached out to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and other financial institutions concerned to identify and freeze the accounts used by the scam hub.
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