EDITORIAL — Turning into something new

Authorities recently raided and took down a scam farm operation in Makati City running an extortion racket.

According to Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission director Gilberto Cruz, the operation posed as a firm that offered victims collateral-free loans of up to ?25,000 with a 35% weekly interest, and then harassed and threatened them if they couldn't make payment on time.

The firm asked for personal information and family photographs of the victims, which were then used as leverage.

"Some of those they harassed developed mental problems, others fell into depression, and there have even been some suicide incidents that occurred because of the harassment perpetrated by these people," Cruz said in a report in Philstar.com.

It would seem that some scam operators have dropped online gambling, love scams, and crypto scams in favor of a more compelling reason; quick and easy loans.

If this is so then we have reason to be worried; first, because such a scam can net many potential victims. Because of the hardships we face today, many are desperate for short-term solutions to their financial problems.

Second, because that criminal syndicate hired mostly Filipinos because they speak the local language. They seem to have wisened up that hiring too many foreigners would raise a red flag and call in authorities.

Which can mean that scam farm operations may soon be hard to detect because of the absence of many foreigners. It may also mean that many of our own fellowmen will fall victim to such operations even within our own shores.

Just recently, we said that many criminal syndicates that used to run Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators operations here will not just pull up their stakes and leave, owing to how much they have invested here and how “friendly” the environment is for criminal operations; it would be more likely they will just find other ways to wheedle money from unsuspecting victims.

This is one of them.

This goes without saying that we must now be more discerning in detecting such illegal operations.