Wanted Korean woman netted
The victims never received returns, and total losses reportedly exceed 385 million won or approximately US$277,000
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Daily TribuneThe victims never received returns, and total losses reportedly exceed 385 million won or approximately US$277,000
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Immigration at NAIA
Photo courtesy of Alfonso Padilla
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) revealed on Sunday that its operatives arrested a 42-year-old South Korean woman believed to be involved in a fraudulent scheme at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
BI commissioner Norman Tansingco, the woman was attempting to depart the country on a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Hanoi when authorities flagged her as her passport triggered a match in the agency’s derogatory information system, indicating an Interpol blue notice.
Blue notices are used to collect information on a person’s whereabouts with the intention of formal extradition.
Tansingco withheld the woman’s name in accordance with Interpol protocols. He added that her passport was also reported lost or stolen.
“She will be deported as an undesirable and undocumented alien,” Tansingco said. “Following deportation, she will be blacklisted and barred from re-entering the Philippines.”
The BI-Interpol revealed the woman is a suspect in a 2019 investment scam that targeted South Korean nationals which allegedly involved promising high returns on investments deposited into the suspect’s personal account, purportedly for a money-lending business.
However, the victims never received returns, and total losses reportedly exceed 385 million won or approximately US$277,000.
Authorities also suspect the woman of defrauding ten other victims in 2018-2019. The scheme involved offering to reimburse money with interest through joint bank accounts.
After the victims deposited an initial 60 million won or approximately US$43,000, the suspect allegedly absconded with the funds.
