By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The United States government had seized a Telegram channel being used to recruit Filipinos and other nationals into a scam hub operation in Cambodia under false promises of high-paying jobs.
The United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) on Friday said the channel was connected to a scam compound in rural Cambodia near the Thai border that targets American victims.
The channel, named POGO JOB HIRING 2023, had more than 6,000 followers and had postings for jobs in Cambodia looking for workers who spoke with “American” accents, would work a night shift, some even specifically seeking attractive female candidates likely for love scams.
Once recruited and having arrived in Cambodia, the US DOJ said the workers were held against their will and forced to defraud victims.
“In the fraud scheme, victims received cold calls from individuals posing as bank representatives, including impersonators of JPMorgan or other US bank customer service agents, warning them that their bank accounts had been used to purchase firearms from an actual US gun store website,” it said.
Victims were then transferred to individuals posing as “NYPD detectives” or other supposed law enforcement, and later sent to the “New York Supreme Court” or other purported prosecutorial officials.
Through pressure conducted over WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams, victims were induced to disclose their bank account information and ultimately transfer their savings to the scammers.
The Telegram channel’s seizure is part of the coordinated actions announced by the US-led Scam Center Strike Force, targeting criminal organizations operating scam centers in Southeast Asia.
In a separate briefing with Southeast Asian journalists on Friday, US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro disclosed the filing of criminal charges and arrest warrants against two Chinese nationals—Huang Xingshan, also known as “Ah Zhe,” and “Huang Xing Saan,” and Jiang Wen Jie, also known as “Jiang Nan”—alleged managers of cryptocurrency investment fraud operations at the Shunda compound in Min Let Pan, Myanmar.
Pirro also announced the removal of more than 500 websites used in scams, and a reward for information leading to recovery of scam proceeds related to the Tai Chang scam center in Myanmar.
“This is not just economic, this involves human trafficking as well as torture. We have seized the sites, and we are coming for the rest. These criminals thought they were untouchable because they are overseas, today, we have proved them wrong, and we’re just getting started,” Pirro said. (PNA)
