MANILA – Seven fugitives from China and Taiwan are set to be deported following their arrest for several crimes, the Bureau of Immigration on Thursday said. In a statement, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the foreign nationals allegedly worked in a fraud syndicate that operates an online gaming hub in the Philippines. ‘We recently received information from their country that they are wanted fugitives. Hence a mission order was issued against them and they were arrested for being undesirable aliens,’ he said. The foreign nationals were reportedly arrested following the operation of the Philippine National Police in Las Piñas last July 5. They are now under the custody of the BI while deportation procedures are being processed. The shared intelligence showed that four of the arrested fugitives remain at large in China. “Information from authorities revealed that warrants of detention were issued against the Chinese nationals by the Public Security Bureau in China for contract fraud, drug trafficking, telecom fraud, and theft,” the BI said. The remaining three foreigners from Taiwan also face charges of fraud and offenses causing physical harm. Visa scam Meanwhile, Tansingco warned the public on Wednesday against scammers promising foreign visitors of entry visas. He cited a report against fraud agents, misrepresenting themselves as immigration officers or Philippine Consulate representatives. Tansingco said scammers are offering the deal for a PHP20,000 charge via online transaction. ‘The scammers sent an order instructing the applicant to pay via money transfer. That is a major red flag that’s why the applicant reported the incident to us,’ he said. Tansingco assured that the bureau is closely coordinating with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to prevent its reoccurrence. He also urged the public to report to authorities such modus operandi or similar schemes. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency