Philippine authorities say they have rescued alleged victims of a “crypto trafficking ring” that worked out of a call center in Cambodia and recruited people to defraud them out of their crypto currency. Authorities are also investigating government officials who may have assisted the crypto-trading syndicate.
Alleged victims of “crypto-trafficking ring” rescued
The Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced Friday that it has rescued six alleged victims of a “cryptocurrency trading ring,” the Philippine government news agency reported.
Immigration Secretary Norman Garcera Tansingco explained that BI officials intercepted the alleged victims who were attempting to board a plane to Phnom Penh on January 15. Noting that these passengers had fake round-trip tickets, the commissioner said that they gave “inconsistent answers” to questions by BI officials, “raising suspicion that they were simply posing as tourists but that their purpose was to work abroad.” .
Anne Camille Mina, acting head of the TCEU, commented:
She admitted that she ended up working in a call center in Cambodia and recruited on Facebook.
Authorities investigate government officials
Tansingco promised to take action against BI employees involved in the crypto-trading syndicate. He noted that the immigration officer who allowed the passengers to leave the country has been relieved of her duties pending the outcome of the investigation. The Commissioner opined.
We also want to help find and arrest those illegal recruiters who entice employees to join their illegal schemes … They are the root of this social problem and they too must be arrested for this crime.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that the Immigration Department is currently investigating at least three persons of interest in this case. On whether this crypto-trafficking case is related to human trafficking syndicates in Cambodia and Myanmar, she admitted: “It is something we are concerned about. It seems to be related.”
Crypto crime syndicates recruit unsuspecting victims to work in call centers, especially in Asian countries, and scam them on social media and dating apps. One of the most common jobs for trafficked victims is “butchering pigs,” a type of crypto fraud, according to areportby Propublica.
Tens of thousands of people from across Asia are being coerced into defrauding millions of dollars from people in the United States and around the world. Those who resist face beatings and food shortages, and worse.
U.S. authorities have repeatedly warned that the hog slaughter crypto scam has gained alarming popularity. Last November, the U.S. Department of Justice