"Guo, a Chinese national who became mayor after posing as a Filipina, had been involved in running a Chinese-operated online gambling and scam outfit. Hundreds of people were forced into running scams at the compound in Bamban in Central Luzon, or face torture. The scam center was raided by authorities in March 2024 following a tip-off from a Vietnamese worker who had managed to escape."
"This led to the discovery of more than 700 Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians and Rwandans at the sprawling compound. Also discovered were documents that allegedly revealed that Guo was president of a company that owned the compound. Guo was arrested by Indonesian police in September 2024 after she went on the run from Filipino authorities. Southeast Asia has seen a multitude of cybercrime operations spring up, involving thousands of scammers."
"State prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas said in all, eight foreign nationals, including Guo, received life sentences. "After over just one year, the court... gave us a favourable decision. Alice (Guo) was convicted along with seven other co-accused. Life imprisonment," Torrevillas said. Local media reported that this amounted to 40 years in prison and a fine of 2 million Philippine pesos ($33875). Alice Guo had served as the mayor of Bamban, the site of the scam center"
A Philippine court sentenced Alice Guo and seven co-accused to life imprisonment for human trafficking related to a Chinese-operated online gambling and scam operation. Hundreds of victims were forced to run scams at a Bamban compound under threat of torture. A March 2024 raid, prompted by an escaped Vietnamese worker, uncovered more than 700 victims of multiple nationalities and documents linking Guo to the company owning the compound. Guo was later arrested in Indonesia in September 2024 after fleeing Filipino authorities. UN figures note the region suffered about $37 billion in cybercrime losses in 2023.
Read at www.dw.com
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