Philippines makes arrests in online extortion ring

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By TERESA CEROJANO

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine police have arrested eight suspected members of an online syndicate accused of blackmailing more than 1,000 Hong Kong and Singapore residents after luring them into exposing themselves in front of webcam, an official said Friday.

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 Filipinos were arrested, and another 100 linked to the extortion in a subsequent investigation in May. The victims came from all over the world, including a Scottish teenager who committed suicide after being blackmailed.

Five Filipino teenagers employed as "chatters" who befriended victims through social media sites including Facebook were turned over to social workers, said the head of the police anti-cybercrime group, Gilbert Sosa.

Victims would be lured into cybersex on Skype, recorded and a video link sent to their Facebook accounts unless they paid at least $3,000, he said.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140822/as--philippines-cyber_extortion-1d7b9d62d5.html

[L0oniX]

1. They do that with mugshots here in the USA too.