MANILA: A Chinese man accused of running an extensive network of scam farms across the Philippines has been arrested, authorities in Manila said on Friday (Oct 11).
Lin Xunhan was detained in Binan city south of Manila late Thursday, amid a government crackdown on online businesses accused of defrauding clients and which have been linked to other crimes including kidnappings, prostitution, human trafficking, torture and murder.
The 33-year-old native of the Chinese province of Fujian “is a figure of significant concern within the landscape of organised crime in the Philippines”, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said in a statement.
“Since 2016, (Lin) has systematically built a network of scam farms, often employing legal businesses as fronts to obscure his illicit activities” in the country, it said.
“While some of these operations have been raided and shut down, many continue to thrive, complicating law enforcement efforts to dismantle his extensive criminal enterprise.”
Another Chinese suspect and nine Filipino bodyguards were also arrested in the raid of a house, which also turned up three handguns, it said.
Often staffed by victims of trafficking, the mainly Chinese-run scam farms trick or coerce victims into investing in bogus crypto ventures and other cons.
In July, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr outlawed all forms of offshore gaming operators, including internet gaming licence holders.
Thousands of foreign workers at the outlawed firms were given two months to leave the Philippines.
