Recently, the Philippine police successfully cracked a fraud case involving the POGO industry, arresting three Chinese citizens suspected of defrauding compatriots of a large sum of money under the guise of "bail". The victim paid 5 million pesos in an attempt to rescue a detained friend, but was extorted for an additional 2.5 million pesos after not seeing the release, and finally chose to call the police, who then launched a sting operation.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police took action on the evening of March 17 at a Chinese restaurant in Pasay City, successfully arresting He Changao, 36, Pang Yong Pin, 32, and Xiong Ming Wei, 33.
According to the 34-year-old victim Liang Xiao Hu, his friend was arrested by Philippine law enforcement two months ago due to a POGO-related case. He contacted He Changao, who claimed to have connections with officials from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and promised to release his friend through "special channels".
Liang initially paid 5 million pesos, but his friend was not released as expected. Later, He demanded an additional 2.5 million pesos, at which point Liang realized he might have been deceived and decided to seek police help.
The police then planned a sting operation and caught He red-handed while collecting the money. Notably, He's two accomplices, Pang and Xiong, tried to interfere with the law enforcement process and were also arrested by the police.
During the investigation, the police found several photos of Xiong in military uniform on his phone. Upon further interrogation, Xiong admitted to having served in a military unit.
According to the police report, He will be charged with fraud, while Pang and Xiong will face charges for obstructing justice. Currently, the three suspects have been taken to the police station for further investigation, and the case is still under review.
The Philippine police remind Chinese citizens in the Philippines to be vigilant and beware of "special channel bail" scams. In similar situations, it is advised to report to the police immediately to avoid being deceived.
