Immigration authorities arrested on Friday, Sept. 12, two Chinese nationals and rescued two Malaysians during a raid on an alleged scam hub that targeted foreigners in Quiapo, Manila.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Tuesday, Sept. 16, the two Chinese nationals, identified as Wang Huihuang, 30, and Liu Lin, 35, were nabbed by the Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) in a residential building on Gonzalo Puyat Street in Quiapo.
The rescued Malaysians were not identified.
During the operation, the BI said the two Chinese nationals were caught “operating online workstations consisting of six computer units actively linked to dating sites, multiple social media accounts, messaging platforms, translators, and other applications.”
It said the arrested suspects used the platforms to deceive victims by feigning romantic relationships with them with the aim of swindling money.
The “love scam” operations targeted European and Japanese nationals, it added.
The BI said the arrested Chinese nationals, who were found overstaying aliens, are now detained at its facility, while the two Malaysians have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the Malaysian Embassy for investigation and assistance. (Jeffrey Damicog)
