Three Nigerian nationals were arrested in Las Piñas City following allegations of extortion and involvement in online scamming, according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last Friday.
The suspects, identified as Ugochukwu Osuagwu, Chinonso Omeje, and Benjamin Onu, are facing charges of extortion and violating the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (RA 12010) in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175).
NBI Director Jaime Santiago stated that the men were apprehended during an entrapment operation on September 11, following a complaint by a woman who was allegedly scammed by the group.
The victim met Osuagwu on a dating site in August 2022 and, after briefly dating, allowed him to use her GCash account and SIM card under the pretense of transferring funds for tuition. Unbeknownst to her, the suspects used her accounts to funnel money from their illegal activities.
The woman later faced legal trouble when one of the victims of the scam filed charges against her. She attempted to recover her accounts, but the suspects demanded P3,000, later reducing it to P2,500.
The trio was arrested after accepting the marked money. Cell phones containing GCash accounts and ATM cards were recovered during the operation.