Chinese, Indonesians, Malaysians among 2,700 victims rescued in Philippines cyber scam raid
- The massive nighttime raid on a compound in Las Pinas city, Metro Manila, hints at how the Philippines has become a key base for cybercrime syndicates
- Those rescued from the compound included 604 Chinese, 183 Vietnamese, 137 Indonesians, 134 Malaysians, 81 Thais – and 1,534 Filipinos
Brigadier General Sydney Hernia, who heads the national Philippine police’s anti-cybercrime unit, said police armed with warrants raided and searched the buildings around midnight in Las Pinas.
They rescued 1,534 Filipinos and 1,190 foreigners from at least 17 other countries, including 604 Chinese, 183 Vietnamese, 137 Indonesians, 134 Malaysians and 81 Thais.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said four of its nationals were among those rescued and it has reached out to them to render consular assistance.
The ministry added the city state’s embassy in Manila was in contact with the relevant Philippine authorities.
It was not immediately clear how many suspected leaders of the syndicate were arrested.
Some of the workers told investigators that when they tried to quit they were forced to pay a hefty amount for unclear reasons or they feared they would be sold to other syndicates, police said, adding that workers were also forced to pay fines for perceived infractions at work.
Indonesian Minister Muhammad Mahfud, who deals with political, legal and security issues, told reporters in May that Indonesia and other countries in the region have found it difficult to work with Myanmar on cybercrime and its victims.
He said Asean needs to make progress on a long-proposed regional extradition treaty that would help authorities prosecute offenders more rapidly and prevent a further escalation in cybercrime.