On August 16, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines announced that six Chinese nationals were arrested in Angeles City, Pampanga for their alleged involvement in online fraud and related cybercrimes.
The NBI stated in a press release that on August 14, agents from the NBI-Cybercrime Division and NBI-Technical Intelligence Division conducted a joint operation and arrested these six suspects; the arrested individuals were identified as Xiaojun Wang, Xue Feng Zhang, Kexin Ge, Die Liu, Yu Jie Wang, and Honghong Zhu.
Scene from the press conference called by the NBI regarding this case, see image below
NBI Director Jaime Santiago stated that previously, the Naval Intelligence and Security Group had requested the bureau's assistance in verifying and executing arrest warrants for three human trafficking fugitives, namely Zhang Xiaofeng, Guo Jinxie, and Lo Hsinghung; the bureau later confirmed that the arrest warrants for these individuals were issued by the Paranaque City Regional Trial Courts, Branch 296, with charges related to human trafficking.
The NBI also disclosed that later, in coordination with the Clark Development Corporation, they went to execute the arrest warrant at D Heights Resort Golf and Country Club; however, during the execution of the arrest warrant, Zhang Xiaofeng was not found on site, "but agents discovered various desktop computers, mobile phones, SIM cards, several fraud scripts, and client ledgers in the search area."
"These fraud scripts and tools were used for scamming activities such as phishing, credit card fraud, cryptocurrency scams, and fake investment scams."
The six Chinese nationals were taken to the Department of Justice for investigation, facing charges including computer fraud under the Cybercrime Prevention Act and offenses against the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act such as money laundering and other financial order disruptions.
Director Santiago praised the sharpness and precision of the agents from the Cybercrime Division and Technical Intelligence Division during the operation. He added that the NBI is pursuing cybercriminals nationwide, especially those foreigner-led cybercrime groups.
