Latest news with #PAOCC
GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
Public warned vs ‘task scams' via messaging apps
Authorities cautioned the public from taking part in 'task scams' sent via messaging apps where victims are given assignments in exchange for cash before being convinced to "invest" their money in return for quick profits. In her report on Thursday's 24 Oras, Darlene Cay said victim 'Bea' lost P9,800 in an 'investment', most of which is money she just borrowed. Bea said she was encouraged to send money via a digital link after she initially saw it quickly gain profits. However, after she sent a larger sum, the money was never returned and the person she was transacting blocked her. Pearl, another victim, said she lost P38,000 through the same scheme. She said the scammers sound very professional and convincing. Pearl said she participated because she was looking for a way to earn extra money. Despite her pleas, the scammer ignored her messages and later blocked her. 'Work from anywhere' Via unsolicited messages through messaging apps, people introducing themselves as members of a digital marketing agency offer "work from anywhere" opportunities. Victims are enticed by earning as much as P9,000 daily just by clicking 'likes' of products in different shopping apps. According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), task scams lure victims with the promise of earning easy money. 'Pasasakayin ka e. Kunwari bibigyan ka ng mga gagawin mo para kumita ka ang mabigat kasi dito, grupo grupo rin yan,' said Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, PAOCC Executive Director. It is possible syndicates use easy catchers or devices that have the capability to access telephone numbers, messages and data from the smartphones of potential victims. Cruz said the scammers would get these cellphone numbers and would initiate a text blast. If a person's phone receives an ad, he or she could then be convinced by scammers to join by completing their assigned tasks. The phone numbers could also have been sourced from phones whose users clicked on phishing websites according to the Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center. CICC Deputy Executive Director Assistant Secretary Renato Paraiso said possible victims could have provided their names, numbers and email addresses believing they were taking part in a promotional event or a discount but these details could be sold to scammers. PAOCC said it is continuing to investigate the said scam which it believes is being operated by Filipinos. Be suspicious Authorities advised jobseekers that no legitimate employer would ask money in exchange for employment and that they would not contact you via messaging apps if you did not apply in the first place. 'Employers do not get in touch with individuals they pass through channels or platforms. Nobody calls from a company to offer a job to somebody. People should be suspicious by this system alone,' said Serge Ortiz-Luis, President of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines. —RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Pinoy spouses, children say goodbye to deported Chinese POGO workers
Filipino spouses and children bid farewell to Chinese loved ones who are Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) workers being deported back to China. In Saleema Refran's Tuesday report on '24 Oras,' alias 'Jacque' expressed worry for the Chinese father of her six-month-old baby. She said she plans to follow her partner to China. But for other Filipinos, it may be the last time they will see their Chinese loved ones. 'Bigyan po sila ng chance kung wala naman pong case na kasangkot ng mga iligal ganun. Pagbigyan po na mapalaya po,' alias 'Marie' said. (Give them a chance if they are not involved in illegal activities. I hope they will be freed.) At least 100 Chinese citizens are being deported to Shanghai, China. They were nabbed during the anti-POGO operation in scam hubs in Cebu, Cavite, Parañaque, and Pasay. The Chinese government paid for their fare to China without any layovers. 'Importante ito sa kanila dahil marami silang nakukuhang impormasyon dito sa bosses especially kung paano sila nag ooperate, saan sila nag ooperate at anu-anong mga sistema sa money laundering,' Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) executive director Gilbert Cruz. (This is important to them since they get information about the bosses, especially on how and where they operate, and their system in money laundering.) Once the deported POGO workers return to China, they will undergo a thorough investigation since some were allegedly involved in large-scale crimes, where many fell victim to different scam hubs allegedly from the Philippines. These cases involved cybercrime, scamming, fraud, and money laundering. 'Ang pinag-uusapan natin dito, billions of dollars. Yung isang na-turn over natin na wanted person sa kanila, umaabot sa P900 billion ang kanyang nakulimbat o na money launder doon sa kanilang bansa,' Cruz said. (We're talking about billions of dollars. One person we turned over is a wanted person for a money laundering case in their country, which amounted to P900 billion.) The PAOCC said since the crackdown on POGO hubs was launched in 2023, about 4,000 people were arrested of whom 2,500 are foreigners deported to their respective countries. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration said it has fixed the delay in the other arrested POGO workers' deportation process. 'Ang main difficulty na lang natin ngayon hindi na yung NBI clearance. Dati kasi medjo ilang buwan pa yung binibilang, ngayon isang araw na lang. Ang magiging challenge ngayon, yung kanilang pasaporte,' BI spokersperson Dana Sandoval said. (The main difficulty we're facing right now is not the NBI clearance. Before, it was being processed for months, but now, it can be processed in one day. Our current challenge is their passports.) — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BAP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
100 Chinese ex-POGO workers deported to China
Some 100 Chinese individuals who worked for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) were deported to China on Tuesday. According to Saleema Refran's report on Balitanghali, they were deported at around 10:40 a.m. The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said China paid for the airfare of the deportees, with the goal of ensuring that they will not be able to escape. "Importante kasi sa kanila 'yan dahil marami silang nakukuhang impormasyon dito sa mga bosses kung paano sila nag o-operate, saan sila nag-o-operate, at anu-anong mga sistema sa money laundering ang ginagamit nila," PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said. (It's important to them because they get a lot of information from the bosses here. How they operate, where they operate, and what money laundering systems they use.) "Ang ayaw kasi nila siyempre 'yung hindi nakakarating sa China mismo 'yung mga boss nitong operation ng POGO," he added. (What they really don't want, of course, is for the bosses of these POGO operations to not arrive in China.) Once in China, the deportees will undergo investigation for scamming, cybercrime, fraud, and money laundering. Broken apart Meanwhile, the Filipino partners and spouses of the deportees were emotional when saying their goodbyes, including one who even brought their six-month child. "Sobrang sakit po kasi may anak po kami (It really hurts because we have a child)," one of the women said. The mother is already in contact with the deportee's family and China, and plans to follow him there with their daughter. The former workers were arrested during anti-POGO operations in Cebu, Cavite, Parañaque, and Pasay. They have been declared undesirable aliens due to lack of visas and work permits, and for working in illegal POGOs. Aside from these, they have also been blacklisted and can no longer return to the Philippines. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. banned all POGOs in the country effective July 22, 2024 after raids against illegal POGOs revealed equipment used for torture, love scams, and other crimes. Since the crackdown, some 4,000 former POGO workers have been arrested while 2,500 have been deported. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
PAOCC launches one-stop shop vs. abusive lending apps
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Monday launched a one-stop shop to handle complaints of victims of abusive online lending applications. 'Hindi na kailangan pumunta sa pulis. Dito, sama-sama na kami para mas madali na ang pag-file ng kaso, hindi na gagastos,' said PAOCC Executive Director Gilbert Cruz. (There's no need to go to the police. The agencies are here for easier filing of complaints. It will also be less costly for the complainants.) The complaint desk at the PAOCC office in Pasay City has representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), Philippine National Police and its anti-cyber crime group, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 'Bottom line is, we need to file an airtight case,' said Police Brigadier General Rollie Suguilon, OIC of PNP-CIDG. Interest rates charged to borrowers of online lending apps reach up to 50 percent. For April and May this year, over 13,000 complaints have been received by the PAOCC from people victimized by the lending apps. During the launch of the one-stop shop, PAOCC said it received a hundred sworn statements of complainants. One victim, Julie, said the lending app used AI-generated images to expose her on social media, which affected her mental health. 'I used to be jolly, now I no longer go out of the house. To end this, I even thought of suicide,' she said in Filipino. Online lending apps should be registered with the SEC, but the agency acknowledged some manage to advertise their lending offers without going through the agency. It advised users to immediately report the illegal lending apps so they could be blocked.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Up to 10,000 Pogo-linked foreigners remain in Philippines, criticisms mount over inaction
Up to 10,000 foreign nationals linked to the controversial Philippine offshore gaming operations (Pogos) remain in the country despite a ban on the sector last year, with calls from lawmakers mounting to track down those at large and quickly deport them. Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) chief Gilbert Cruz revealed the numbers – mostly Chinese nationals – in the past week to a committee at the House of Representatives overseeing hearings on Pogos and alleged links to human rights violations, scams, and other crimes. '[Enforcement actions against] more than 9,000 illegal foreign workers have been temporarily suspended. Many detainees cannot be deported due to missing passports,' Cruz said, referring to an estimated total that included those at large. This has led to congestion in a detention facility in Pasay, a building converted into a PAOCC office, previously a Pogos hub raided and seized by the commission during last year's crackdown. There are 640 detainees in the facility awaiting deportation. Cruz said the commission was having difficulty funding their food and healthcare needs, with two in custody having died due to illness, while as many as 300 had fallen ill. Without naming other Philippine agencies, Cruz added his side was having difficulty deporting the foreign workers as 'coordination with foreign embassies for travel documents remains slow and inefficient'.
