Authorities have arrested three South Koreans linked by Seoul authorities to a call center scam.

Commissioner Jaime Morente of the Bureau of Immigration said the suspects were nabbed on Aug. 4, 2020 by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit at the Southern Police District headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

The fugitives, identified as Lim Yeong-jun, 36; Kwom Hyeok-soo, 49; and, Sim Dong-woo, 49, were described as overstaying aliens. Their passports had been revoked by the Korean government, the bureau said.

The bureau said the three accumulated approximately 80 million won or over $67,000 by posing as call center agents of lending institutions and convincing their targets of availing themselves of lower interest by repaying their loans in advance.

The suspects were detained at the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detention Group facility.

They await the filing of criminal charges for allegedly operating secret call centers in Manila, which is against the 1988 Access Device Regulation Act and 2011 Anti-Cybercrime Law. Jojo Mangahis