By Dante M. Salvaña
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Authorities arrested 232 Vietnamese nationals during a raid on a building in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Oct. 22 as part of an investigation into suspected online financial scams and other cybercrime activities.
The operation was conducted at UPower Building 2 in Subic Gateway Park by the National Bureau of Investigation’s Pampanga District Office (NBI-PAMDO) and Olongapo District Office (NBI-OLDO), with support from the Philippine Air Force, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Philippine National Police and other government agencies.
Authorities implemented a Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data issued on Oct. 21 by Regional Trial Court Branch 73 Presiding Judge Edwin C. Torres in Olongapo City.
The warrant covered alleged violations of Sections 4(b), 4(c) and 5(a) of Republic Act No. 12010, or the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, in relation to Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Investigators are looking into the suspected involvement of the arrested individuals in online financial scams, alleged online gambling fraud and other large-scale cyber-enabled fraudulent activities.
Initial reports indicated that the suspected operations may have targeted victims in the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, the Philippines, the United States, Thailand and other countries.
During the raid, authorities seized electronic devices and computer equipment allegedly used or intended for use in the suspected activities. These included desktop computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, computer processing units, USB flash drives, removable storage devices, SIM cards, card scanners, memory card readers, webcams, routers and closed-circuit television equipment.
Investigators also secured digital data and other potential evidence, including social media and messaging accounts, digital wallet information, online platform account details, usernames, contact lists, electronic documents, photographs, screenshots, text messages, chat histories, emails and other communications allegedly linked to the suspected fraudulent activities.
Passports, travel documents and other identification papers were also found at the premises.
The 232 Vietnamese nationals were brought in for documentation and booking procedures following the operation.
Authorities have yet to disclose the identities of the arrested individuals, the estimated financial losses allegedly caused by the suspected activities, or the next legal steps in the investigation.