Chinese Internet fraud syndicate busted in Angeles City

ANGELES CITY, Philippines  – Fifteen Chinese nationals, including five women from Taiwan, were arrested here Wednesday in a raid on a house being used by a syndicate allegedly engaged in Internet fraud and extortion preying on rich folk both in Taiwan and mainland China.

The raid was conducted by joint police operatives from Metro Manila and this city on a house in Barangay Malabanias, a tourism district here.

A police source, who asked not to be named, said some of the suspects, including one who seemed to speak Ilocano, sought to contact by phone a governor in the north and a police official based at Camp Crame. He could not say though whether they succeeded.

The group’s leader, identified as James Chan Lim, was found to possess a permit to carry firearms issued by Camp Crame, although no firearm was found during the raid, the source said. The names of the other suspects were not immediately available.

The raid yielded several computers, telephone units and other sophisticated electronic gadgets, which the group supposedly used to pilfer personal information from known rich Chinese in Taiwan and mainland China for purposes of extortion and blackmail. Bank fund transfers were reportedly resorted to for financial deals.

Only a week ago, the National Bureau of Investigation also raided another house in San Fernando, Pampanga, some 15 kilometers south of this city, and also arrested Chinese nationals engaged in similar operations.

Taiwanese officials had asked for police help after a certain Ten Jen Li, 20, sought help through his Facebook account, revealing the operations of the group, which recruited him as a telephone operator, police said.

Li said the group paid for his plane fare to the Philippines. When he arrived last Aug. 6, he said he was also compelled to engage in the illegal operations.

Last Wednesday morning, Ten was able to escape from the house and sought the help of a barangay tanod who, in turn, alerted the police. The raid was conducted six hours later.

Ten identified the 14 other Chinese syndicate members who are now held at the city police headquarters. Police said charges of human trafficking will be filed against them.