The victims were enticed by social media ads offering high-paying employment.
Over 1,000 human trafficking victims, who were forced to toil up to 18 hours a day for cryptocurrency scams, were rescued by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The 12 suspected ringleaders were arrested by the authorities and will be charged with human trafficking. This includes seven Chinese nationals, four Indonesians, and a Malaysian.
Crypto Scam Ring Busted
An official revealed that a total of 1,090 individuals were rescued after being trafficked from several nations and held captive to forcefully operate online scams. The workers were mostly from Asia, including Vietnam (389), China (307), the Philippines (171), Indonesia (143), Nepal (40), Malaysia (25), Myanmar (7), Thailand (5), Taiwan (2), Hong Kong (1).
Michelle Sabino, PNP anti-cybercrime group (ACG) spokesperson, revealed arresting at least 12 suspected ringleaders who are believed to be the operators of a fraudulent entity called Colorful and Leap Group Co. All of them were subjected to an inquest proceeding for human trafficking before the Department of Justice in Manila.
In a statement to the media, Sabino noted that the operators trained the workers to lure strangers into purchasing cryptocurrency or depositing funds into bogus bank accounts after establishing fake romantic relationships. Unsuspecting individuals in the United States, Europe, and Canada were especially targeted for the scams.
“They will build up a promise of a good future together. Let’s buy a house, buy a car, let’s invest money, or let’s do business together.”
Rampant Crypto Romance Scams
This includes requesting crypto outright or offering some form of fraudulent investment advice or malicious links to apps and websites that can drain the victim’s cryptocurrency wallets.