Chinese-led scam hubs are reportedly hiding in plain sight, operating inside guarded and gated subdivisions to evade law enforcement, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed.

This comes after the arrest of five Chinese nationals who were caught running an online scam operation inside a rented house in a private subdivision in Angeles City, Pampanga.

According to the NBI, agents from its Criminal Intelligence Division (NBI-CRID) caught the suspects red-handed, busy scamming their victims online using multiple laptops and desktop computers. Investigators said their primary targets were fellow Chinese nationals.

Noel Bocaling, assistant director for Intelligence Service of the NBI, explained that scammers are using upscale subdivisions to conceal their activities. “The scammers are hiding inside high-end subdivisions to evade authorities who are hunting them after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned the operations of Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGO),” Bocaling said.

He also revealed that the suspects would offer homeowners P80,000 in monthly rent, higher than the usual P50,000, to use the property for illegal operations while keeping undocumented individuals hidden. They do not disclose their real activities to the property owners.

The operation was part of a larger manhunt for a Chinese national identified as “Big Boss,” a suspected key figure being protected by the arrested group. This Big Boss is linked to the killing of a fellow Chinese and a Filipino, according to the NBI.

While believed to be an enforcer for the group, Big Boss is reportedly not the financier of the scamming operations but serves as a conduit for the real mastermind. Authorities described the group as “armed and dangerous.”

Bocaling said coordination is ongoing with the Chinese embassy for the deportation of the arrested suspects. Meanwhile, charges will be filed against them under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA).