By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration has denied entry to a South Korean national wanted by authorities in Seoul for alleged fraud and money laundering tied to a telecommunications-based financial scam.
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said Hwang Hyeonjun, 26, was intercepted at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport upon his arrival from Vietnam via Philippine Airlines flight on Feb. 5.
He said immigration officers sought verification after his name triggered an alert in the BI’s system.
BI Interpol Chief Peter De Guzan confirmed that an active red notice was issued by the National Central Bureau Seoul.
According to official records, Hwang has allegedly been involved in laundering criminal proceeds as a member of a telecom fraud syndicate.
The group allegedly operated through phone-based financial scams, impersonating financial institution employees to deceive victims into transferring large sums of money.
In one documented incident, a victim was allegedly defrauded of KRW 10 million through a fake debt consolidation loan scheme.
The funds were reportedly collected by accomplices under Hwang’s instructions, converted into cryptocurrency, and transferred to digital wallets controlled by the syndicate.
Hwang was excluded pursuant to the Philippine Immigration Act for being a fugitive from justice and for posing a risk to public interest.
As a result, his name has been included in the BI’s blacklist, permanently barring his re-entry to the country. (PNA)
