AFP partners with Filipino counterparts to identify Australian scam victims
The search for victims began after Philippine authorities dismantled a major scam complex in Manila last month.
An Australian Federal Police team is currently investigating a scam complex in the central Manila city of Pasay after Philippine law enforcement agencies busted a romance scam operation in early October 2024.
Philippine authorities arrested more than 250 cybercriminals responsible for the scam operations and soon after, two AFP members joined their Manila-based AFP liaison officer to search the compound for evidence of the victims. Australian scammers.
AFP technical and cryptocurrency experts are now working with the Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to identify victims and better understand how scammers extracted money from their victims.
Once the victims are identified, the Joint Police Collaboration Center against Cybercrime, led by the AFP, will begin contacting potential victims.
AFP Deputy Commissioner David McLean called the investigation “a major milestone” for Operation Firestorm, which was established earlier this year to combat foreign cybercrime syndicates.
“A large proportion of cybercrime affecting Australians originates overseas, and this action shows how the AFP and its international partners are proactively taking the fight to these syndicates where they operate,” McLean said in a statement.
“We commend the PAOCC and the NBI for their work in identifying this boiler room and taking swift action to close it.
“I thank you for the trust you have shown in the AFP by allowing us to work with them.
“We have gathered valuable information about the structure of these types of scam call centres, how they target Australians and ways to help identify victims.
“An AFP cryptocurrency expert was given unique insight into the financial and money laundering structures operating within these centres, and that will be a huge help in developing our strategies to combat this crime affecting Australia.”
If you are a victim of cybercrime, report it to the police using Report Cyber.
