Telco Fraud Crackdown: BI Nabs High-Risk Chinese Fugitive

Image courtesy of the Bureau of Immigration

Telco Fraud Crackdown: BI Nabs High-Risk Chinese Fugitive

By Bing Jabadan – Thenationweek.com  

July 2, 2025

CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested a high-value Chinese fugitive wanted for large-scale telecommunications fraud.

“The suspect is a key player in a dangerous, organized network that has defrauded countless victims online,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

Zhao Jianfeng, 28, was arrested on June 28 in a residential area at Clark Freeport Zone in Mabalacat City, Pampanga.

Zhao is the subject of a warrant issued by the Liangqing Branch of the Nanning Municipal Public Security Bureau in China, dated June 16, 2025, for his alleged involvement in a vast online scam operation.

“His presence in the Philippines posed a significant threat to public safety,” Viado declared as he vowed to deliver on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to rid the country of foreign fugitives and safeguard national security.

Zhao’s arrest sends a clear message that the Philippines will not be a haven for foreign criminals seeking to evade justice, Viado stressed.

According to Chinese authorities, Zhao is a core member of a transnational criminal syndicate that targeted Chinese citizens with telecom and online investment scams.

The syndicate, reportedly operating from the Philippines, allegedly defrauded victims of millions of pesos.

The operation to arrest the suspect, executed in coordination with local intelligence units, uncovered more evidence of Zhao’s group’s illicit activity.

During the raid, BI agents discovered five other Chinese nationals, identified as Song Genyuan, Wu Xinxu, Wen Jing, Xu Yongcheng, and Lin Jinyang, allegedly manning computer workstations used for telecom fraud.

Further investigation led to the arrest of another high-value syndicate member, Lu Bingbing, 25, at a casino in Angeles City on the same day.

Lu was unable to produce a passport or any valid immigration documents at the time of her arrest.

All suspects were undergoing booking and documentation procedures.

They will be transferred to the BI Warden Facility, pending deportation proceedings.

“We are working closely with the Chinese government to ensure these fugitives are returned to face the charges against them in their home country,” Viado stated.

He issued a stern warning to other foreign fugitives seeking refuge in the Philippines that they would be found soon and sent home immediately.

“The Bureau of Immigration, under the Marcos administration, is committed to collaborating with our international partners to protect the Filipino public from fraud and criminal infiltration,” he stressed.