Philippines security authority arrests 508 people engaged in online fraud
Suspects targeting customers of banks
KUWAIT CITY, June 21, (Agencies): The Philippines security authorities have arrested about 500 Filipinos and eight Israelis during a raid recently on a call center allegedly engaged in online fraud in the country, reports Annahar daily.
The suspects were targeting customers of banks around the world including the Gulf states through a company that was set up to manage the fake electronic exchange sites.
“The company, founded by these fraudsters, was mistakenly linked to the iTrader brand, a foreign exchange broker that was shut down in Israel,” retired security adviser Raed Roumi told Reuters in an interview.
Al-Roumi said Philippine police said they had arrested officials and employees of an international marketing company who were involved in a fraud.
During the raid, eight male Israeli nationals were arrested while in the act of managing the three target buildings while 232 male and 242 female Filipinos were caught in the act of communicating and doing online transactions with foreign “clients” from Europe, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Russia, according to newsinfo.inquirer.net
Later forensic examiners were able to extract several digital evidences from all the computers of International Brandings Development Marketing, Inc (IBD) from the locations which may prove their involvement in fraudulent online trading activity.
An IBB official said the accounts of the complainants were also extracted from the Quality Assurance and Customer Service computers which will strengthen the allegation imputed against IBD by the complainants.
The same official said the suspects have been in the country operating their illegal business for 2 years and a half already. The police are now coordinating with the Interpol and Europol for the identification of the Israeli nationals.
The official also said the government of the Philippines will coordinate with other concerned local and international agencies to determine the extent of the company’s operation.