Philippine Authorities Arrest 21 Phone and Internet Fraudsters Targeting Chinese

On July 21, the Focus Taiwan News Channel reported that Philippine authorities had arrested 21 members of a ring conducting phone and Internet fraud in Angeles City, led by a Taiwanese man residing in the Philippines.  According to the report, an investigator stated that "[w]hen police raided the fraud ring's bases, the members were caught attempting to burn and destroy evidence. . . . During initial questioning, 13 members of the fraud ring said they were from Taiwan, while eight said they were from China . . . ."  The investigator also said that most of the victims of the scheme -- in which ring members posed as law enforcement authorities, local officials, or customer service personnel "to trick or threaten victims into transferring money to the ring" (according to Focus Taiwan) -- were from China.  The article also reported a clear disparity in pay between Taiwanese and Chinese members of the ring: Taiwanese "were paid between NT$30,000 (US$999.56) and NT$40,000 per month," while the Chinese received only 2,000 yuan (US$312.73) per month.