Computer monitors and computer hard drives are among those confiscated by authorities during the search of the abandoned alleged scam hub in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City on May 27. | Daryll Galindo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the air smelling like tape adhesive in the alleged scam hub office in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City, police entered it and confiscated the abandoned office equipment after they served a search warrant on the representative of the owner of the property on Tuesday, May 27.
“This is in connection with the viral alleged scam hub last week,” Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, Cebu City Police Office deputy director for operations as to why a search warrant was served on the Kasambagan property’s owner.
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“There is a search warrant because, based on the reports and complaints that we got from that viral exposé, there are allegations of illegal activities… violations of law that happened in this location,” Macatangay said during an interview on the evening of May 27 at the vicinity of the alleged scam hub office.
The alleged scam hub went viral on May 19 when a YouTuber posted a video with an audio clip of its transactions.
Come the next day, authorities swiftly closed in on their base of operations in an office in Barangay Kasambagan. However, no one was inside the scam hub office when then raid was done.
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With no one inside and equipment believed to be used in their illegal activity abandoned inside the office, authorities then temporarily sealed the entrance and posted a show-cause order on the door, citing the lack of a proper business permit as the reason for sealing the entrance.
On the evening of Thursday, May 27, authorities returned with a search warrant and confiscated 43 personal computer sets. These included laptops, display monitors, keyboards and mice, USBs, cables, compact PCs, and more—all left in the office by the alleged scam hub employees.
A biometrics machine was also among the office equipment confiscated by authorities.
According to police, the seized equipment will be used in the ongoing investigation, hoping to find evidence from the computer’s memory that will help in building up a case against the perpetrators involved in the alleged scam hub.
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“They can be witnesses in this particular incident. Especially if they have no idea about the modus operandi. But, there might be an issue if they themselves were primarily involved in the scams,” said Macatangay.
Those involved in the raid included those from the CCPO, policemen from the Mabolo Police Station, and representatives of the Anti-Cybercrime Group-7.