44 held for fraud in RP
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Philippines police arrested 44 Taiwanese and Chinese nationals for alleged involvement in a telephone scam that defrauded victims overseas, a local official said yesterday.
The suspects were detained on Wednesday after raids on two locations in Iloilo City, 460 kilometres south of Manila, according to police senior superintendent Gilbert Sosa, head of the cyber crime unit.
Sosa said the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Manila provided information from victims that aided in the arrest of the suspects.
The suspects, claiming to be law-enforcement officials, defrauded victims by telling them their bank accounts had been involved in money laundering, fraud and other criminal activities.
The victims were then directed to transfer money to a “secure” bank account controlled by the suspects, Sosa added.
The victims were reportedly in Taiwan and China.
