The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police has vowed to continue its hunt for the alleged leader of a Pasay parcel scam syndicate following the arrest of 159 foreign nationals in a suspected scam hub in Pasay City.
CIDG National Capital Region chief Police Colonel John Guiaguin said authorities are determined to track down the group’s leader and other individuals believed to be involved in the operation.
According to Guiaguin, the building was allegedly established solely to function as a scam center targeting victims based outside the Philippines.
The police official clarified that no Filipino nationals were victimized by the group based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
He added that investigators believe additional accomplices remain at large and are continuing efforts to identify and locate them.
The operation was launched after two foreign nationals sought assistance from authorities after reportedly escaping from the facility.
The pair allegedly said they were recruited to work as virtual assistants but later discovered they had been forced to participate in a so-called “parcel scam” operation.
Authorities said the syndicate’s scheme involved contacting victims and falsely claiming that parcels they had received contained contraband.
The suspects would then allegedly threaten the victims with legal consequences and damage to their reputations unless they paid a certain amount of money.
Investigators also found that members of the group allegedly posed as police officers from Indonesia and Malaysia to intimidate their targets and lend credibility to their threats.
The CIDG said investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the operation and identify all individuals connected to the alleged scam network.