291 Taiwanese Linked To Cybercrime Deported

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration deported 291 Taiwanese who were arrested in the country for various crimes, including computer fraud.
The 291 deportees are reportedly members of a cybercrime syndicate victimizing nationals from Mainland China. They were arrested by Philippine authorities during dragnet operations in Manila and nearby provinces.
BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said the Taiwanese were deported pursuant to a summary deportation order issued by the BI board of commissioners last week based on findings that they were “undocumented, overstaying, and undesirable aliens” and for being “serious threats to the general welfare and public policy.”
They were also placed in the immigration blacklist.
Records show that the deportees were among the 291 Taiwanese and 87 Chinese nationals arrested by joint police, naval, and immigration intelligence operatives in Quezon City, Marikina City, and Antipolo and Cainta in Rizal province.
Also arrested were two suspected financiers of a gang involved in credit card fraud and human smuggling in Taiwan and China.
Lawyer Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, BI acting intelligence chief, said the bureau will deport the 87 Chinese nationals within the week and that there were still 10 Taiwanese who are still detained due to pending cases in court.
She added that a Taiwanese had died of dengue, one is confined in the hospital and a New Zealander, who was among those arrested, has also a pending court case.
Mangrobang explained that the government decided to deport the aliens because their victims are in China and Taiwan, thus they will be prosecuted for their crimes in their country of origin.
However, she disclosed that the two alleged financiers, identified as Chinese Maria Luisa Tan and Taiwanese Jonson Tan Co, were charged with violating the access devices regulation act.
The suspects allegedly used the Internet to call and blackmail their victims in Taiwan and China by representing themselves either as representatives of the police, prosecutor’s office, courts, insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions.
They would falsely inform their unsuspecting victims that their personal bank accounts were under investigation for supposedly being used in money laundering and terrorist activities after which the victims would be told to deposit their money in a bank account provided by the syndicate.
It was learned that the syndicate used the Philippines as their base of operations with their modus operandi involving the suspects posing as police officers and calling Chinese victims informing them that their bank accounts were being used for money laundering and funding terrorist activities. The syndicate would then convince their victims to transfer their monies to an allegedly safe back account that the syndicate will provide. The victims usually agree after being threatened with police action.
Representatives from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office, the Taiwan Police as well as Taiwan Immigration officials were at the NAIA to formally receive the turnover of the suspects.
30 Immigration officers from the Philippines escorted the Taiwanese nationals onboard the flight which was able to depart NAIA at 6:45 a.m.