2014-08-22
HKT 20:21
Philippine police have arrested eight suspected members of an online syndicate accused of blackmailing victims including more than 1,000 Hong Kong and Singapore residents after luring them into exposing themselves in front of webcams.
The raid on the syndicate's locations in northern Bulacan province on Thursday was a follow-up to an operation backed by Interpol in April in which 58 people Filipinos were arrested.
Police said the victims came from all over the world, including a Scottish teenager who committed suicide after being blackmailed.
Investigators said five Filipino teenagers employed as "chatters" who befriended victims through social media sites including Facebook were turned over to social workers.
Victims were lured into having cybersex on Skype, recorded and a video link sent to their Facebook accounts unless they paid at least US$3,000.
According to Philippine police, the gang had victimized around 700 Hong Kong residents and nearly the same number of Singaporeans in a span of two years.
Investigators said the latest police operation was conducted in cooperation with Interpol based in Hong Kong and Singapore.
A police spokesman in Hong Kong said the force would comment on the report Friday evening.
Among those in custody was a suspected ring leader.
Police said the woman's daughter owns two money transfer branches in Bulacan where the victims were asked to deposit their payment.
The suspects face charges of robbery with extortion and violation of the anti-human trafficking law.
The crackdown in the Philippines was partly sparked by information that the Scottish teenager took his own life in July last year after being victimized by a Filipino extortion group.
http://m.rthk.hk/news/20140822/1031774.htm
