BI deports 67 undocumented Chinese in Manila

Sixty-seven undocumented Chinese nationals, allegedly engaged in telecommunications, Internet and credit card fraud, have been deported on a chartered flight to Beijing, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Wednesday. “They were deported for being undocumented aliens, which stemmed from the cancellation of their passports by the Chinese government," according to BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. The deportees were expelled on September 30, based on the summary deportation order that the BI board of commissioners issued against them, after they were arrested last Sept 28 at their safe houses in the cities of San Juan and Mandaluyong. The BI said informants had tipped authorities about the illegal aliens' activities, prompting lawmen to conduct surveillance operations. Earlier, the Chinese embassy had informed the BI that the suspects were recruited by a China-based syndicate after being duped with promises of high-paying jobs upon their arrival in Manila. According to Arvin Santos, BI law and investigation division chief, the arrest was not the first time authorities stumbled upon a syndicate run by Chinese and Taiwanese nationals engaged in high-tech swindling activities that prey on victims through the internet. “Their modus operandi is similar to a call-center syndicates wherein prospective victims in China and Taiwan are contacted and enticed to buy goods and services though online banking. Afterwards, the victims’ money are diverted to the syndicate’s account," Santos said. — B.L. Vergara/LBG, GMA News