On June 4, 2025, the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) launched a raid in the upscale Vistamar residential area in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu Province, dismantling a transnational online scam syndicate that had been lurking for nearly a year. 31 suspects were arrested on the spot, including two Taiwanese masterminds. This case revealed a sophisticated scam model combining romance scams with fake e-commerce operations.
NBI-7 has been tracking online scam crimes in the Central Visayas region, focusing on three mansions in the Vistamar Subdivision in the Mactan area as the operation centers. These mansions were suspected of harboring a "romance scam" network disguised as an e-commerce platform, allegedly using fake identities to deceive victims.
On the afternoon of June 4, around 14:30, NBI-7, in collaboration with local police forces and community committees, based on three search warrants issued by the 11th District Court of Cebu, conducted raids on residences at Block 35, Nos. 4, 5, and 6. The operation lasted several hours, and a large number of laptops, desktops, mobile phones, routers, scam scripts, and victims' personal data were seized, proving that the criminal network had been operating for nearly a year.
The investigation found that the gang mainly promoted "love stories" to victims through social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram, then guided users to visit a fake shopping website imitating Shopee, inducing them to make advance payments, but the goods were never shipped, resulting in deception.
NBI confirmed that 31-year-old Liu Cheng-Chih and 41-year-old Tsai Chit Ting, both Taiwanese nationals, were the planners and commanders of the entire scam network, responsible for coordinating 29 Filipino "customer service" staff to execute the scam process.
On June 5, all suspects were transferred to the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor's Office for record. The prosecution has initiated criminal proceedings under Section 4(b)(2) of the 2012 Cybercrime Prevention Act, suspected of computer fraud crimes, and if convicted, each person could face 6 to 12 years in prison and a fine of at least 200,000 pesos.
Atty. Renan Oliva, the regional director of NBI-7, pointed out that this operation was a significant breakthrough in cracking down on transnational online scams in recent years, highlighting the government's firm stance on handling international telecommunications fraud. Meanwhile, Oliva called on community residents to enhance vigilance and actively report such dens.
Currently, NBI is working with the immigration bureau to check the criminal records and identity status of the two Taiwanese suspects, and the investigation and interrogation are still ongoing. This case has exposed the trend of high-end residential areas being illegally exploited, which may prompt the government to strengthen the supervision and prevention of mansions and online scam dens in the future.
