Home office workers are now being warned as raids are being conducted on villas and apartments in the Philippines. The target is foreigners working online, especially Chinese, Japanese, and English-speaking workers. According to reports, there are Chinese translators involved in the scheme, allegedly along with some NBI officials, to extort money from foreigners.
The style of intimidation is like this: They will take your photo and say that you have a case with the NBI. Then, they will scare you that you will be deported or imprisoned if you don't pay. They will say that you have no other choice, so they will force you to pay via WeChat or another transfer method. As time goes by, they will squeeze you harder for a larger amount. When your money runs out, they will take you to court, make you sign documents with your fingerprint, and scare you even more.
There are also cases where the victim is asked for up to 30 million pesos. They will say that if your boss does not pay, you will be deported or imprisoned. So they force you to ask friends or family for help to send money. But even if you pay, you will still not be released—in fact, they will continue to ask you.
Reminder to everyone: Do not give money even if you have it. This will not help, because their only goal is to spend your money. If you have nothing more to give, they will just release you or deport you. It is better to leave the Philippines if you have the opportunity, avoid crowded places with many Chinese, and don't just trust anyone.
Remember: Even if you give 1 million or 2 million pesos, it won't solve the problem. All they want is to make you pay until the end.
