Two men were arrested by the Philippine police for impersonating government officials and deceiving the families of foreign employees working in online gambling (POGO). According to investigations, the suspects pretended to be agents of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and demanded large fees from the victims, claiming they could assist in releasing the arrested POGO workers.
The police noted that several victims have lost huge sums of money, totaling millions of pesos. One victim, Ella (pseudonym), suffered a miscarriage due to extreme stress.
Her fiancé was arrested for illegal employment, and the suspects demanded she pay 1.1 million pesos for his release, threatening deportation if she failed to pay. Her future in-laws even considered mortgaging their property in China to raise funds, but she was only able to pay 900,000 pesos. However, her fiancé has still not been released.
Another victim, Nisa (pseudonym), paid 1.1 million pesos hoping to rescue her husband who was arrested during a raid in Barangay City.
The suspects assured her that her husband would soon be released, but in reality, he was detained by the immigration bureau. Nisa stated she believed them because the suspects claimed to be members of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
Gilbert Cruz, the Executive Director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, stated that this criminal gang has been involved in similar scams for a long time and has insiders in multiple government agencies.
They not only scam people under the guise of releasing POGO workers but also act as intermediaries for foreigners to illegally obtain documents, including Philippine passports and PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) birth certificates.
"We have been tracking the activities of this organization since last year and have collected relevant evidence, including photos and videos. We will not let this go unchecked and will pursue it to the end," Cruz emphasized, adding that the focus will now be on investigating the gang's accomplices in government agencies and taking further action.
The two suspects currently face multiple charges including robbery, extortion, impersonation of public officials, and coercion, with the police continuing to investigate more individuals involved. They have refused to make any statements to the media.
