NBI nabs 29 Filipinos, foreigners in alleged scam hub in Cavite

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-four Filipinos and five foreign nationals were arrested at an alleged scam hub in Kawit, Cavite, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Tuesday.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said in a press conference that their August 9 operation stemmed from a report they received about several houses in Grand Centennial Homes Subdivision in Kawit allegedly being used as scam centers.

“After careful surveillance, we applied for a search warrant, and we were able to catch them. There are five foreigners; three of them are Chinese, and two of them are Malaysian,” the NBI chief said.

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“Now, these 24 Filipinos are working with them to commit romance scams, investment scams, crypto scams, impersonation scams, and credit credential stuffing. They are supervised by these foreigners,” he also explained.

Santiago added that operatives from the NBI’s cybercrime division were able to recover pre-registered SIM cards, online wallet accounts, computers, scam message scripts, cellphones, and text blast machines on site.

Two vaults containing documents and P100,000 cash were also recovered during the operation, he likewise said, although he did not elaborate what kinds of documents were retrieved.

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Santiago further revealed that operatives discovered “scam showrooms” with live desktop computers during the raid. In these showrooms, counterfeit luxury items and other high-end products were displayed to supposedly create an illusion of authenticity to deceive potential victims.

Santiago said the suspects will be facing cases in violation of the Republic Act (RA) No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and RA No. 12010, or the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act.