NBI nabs 17 Taiwanese for Cebu romance scam

Seventeen Taiwanese fugitives are now behind bars after being arrested by the NBI for operating a “romance scam” hub in a high-end subdivision in Cebu City. | Niña Mae Oliverio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Authorities from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested 17 Taiwanese fugitives — one of whom is female — on May 15 after they were reportedly conducting scamming activities in a high-end subdivision in Cebu City.

Ranier dela Cruz of the NBI Special Task Force said in a press conference on Friday, May 16, that six of the arrested individuals — who had been hiding in Cebu — are members of the Four Seas Gang in Taiwan and already have outstanding warrants of arrest there.

These six Taiwanese nationals are facing charges related to drugs, money laundering, and financial conversion.

Dela Cruz said they coordinated with the Taiwan Police to fast-track the operation.

During the raid, the NBI discovered computers being used by the suspects to run a “romance scam,” using scripts and spiels to lure victims — who were also Taiwanese — according to Dela Cruz.

Matt Shen, Taiwan Police Attaché, who was also present at the press conference, thanked the NBI for their swift action.

“In Taiwan, over the past year, the average amount of money lost to scams each week has reached 1 billion NT dollars, which is equivalent to 1.7 billion pesos a week,” Shen said.

He added that the NBI’s swift response “prevented harm” to potential victims.

According to Atty. Van Angluben, executive director of the NBI Cybercrime Division, the operation began in Manila.

They were able to track down the group after one of the suspects — who had an outstanding warrant — booked a flight from Manila to Cebu.

They immediately tapped their counterparts in the local intelligence division, which led to the discovery that the suspects had transferred their operations to Cebu City.

As of press time, Angluben said that other syndicate-run groups remain active, and the NBI is also investigating the possible involvement of government officials and employees.

“Once we establish that there is an organized syndicate involving these Taiwanese nationals, as well as some of our fellow Filipinos, we will also be filing charges,” Angluben said.

Furthermore, Angluben mentioned that they are awaiting the inquest procedure from the Bureau of Immigration for violations of immigration laws, after which the fugitives can be properly turned over to the Taiwanese government.

NBI agents consider the fugitives’ activities as being “partly a POGO hub,” referring to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.

POGO Ban

Since last year, POGOs have been banned following an order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after their operations were linked to several crimes, including human trafficking, prostitution, and money laundering, among others.

“Possible ‘to na offshoot ng mga malalaking Pogo operations dito sa Cebu, sa Manila, and we have yet to determine kung bakit nandito pa yung mga foreign nationals na ‘yan, although meron na pong instructions na of December 31, 2024, they should have already left the Philippines,” Angluben said.

(This could possibly be an offshoot of large POGO operations in Cebu and Manila, and we have yet to determine why these foreign nationals are still here, even though there are already instructions that by December 31, 2024, they should have left the Philippines).

Some of the charges filed against the fugitives include computer-related forgery under RA 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and social engineering schemes under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA).

Shen said they continue to coordinate with the NBI to trace more fugitives operating in the country.

As of Friday, May 16, the 17 Taiwanese nationals are detained at the NBI Central Visayas Regional Office (CEVRO).

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