Police on Thursday rounded up 357 foreigners accused of duping Taiwanese and Chinese citizens in an online scam in what an official described as the largest single-day operation against organized crime in the country.
Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., CIDG director, said CIDG and Paocc agents led by Senior Supt. Ranier Idio raided 20 houses in several subdivisions in Quezon, Manila, Marikina, Cainta and Antipolo cities at around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday and they rounded up the foreigners.
The suspects were brought to the Police National Training Institute (PNTI) in Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna. They face charges for violating the Access Device Act. The syndicate's operations involve the use of the internet, wherein the group will call unsuspecting victims in China, claiming that they represent police, prosecutor's office, courts, insurance companies, banks, and other financial institutions.
The syndicate raked in at least P20 million ($472,000) each day using the scam, Pagdilao said.Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission head Paquito Ochoa said the arrests were the largest single-day operation against organized crime in the country. The suspects are being held in a gymnasium inside a police camp in Canlubang, Laguna.
