A Japanese "fugitive" who is wanted in his country for alleged involvement in a phishing scam has been arrested in Manila, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday, Jan. 6.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the Japanese as Yokota Tetsuya, 39, who was arrested by operatives of the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) in Binondo, Manila last Thursday, Jan. 2.
“He will be deported after our board of commissioners has issued the order for his summary deportation,” said Viado.
“He will be placed in our immigration blacklist and perpetually banned from re-entering the Philippines for being an undesirable alien,” he added.
The BI said that Tetsyo was arrested at the request of the Japanese government which reported that he has been accused of being involved in a voice phishing scam that swindled another Japanese.
It said that “Tetsuya is subject of an outstanding arrest warrant issued by a summary court in Omiya, Japan on May 31 last year.”
“Authorities alleged that Tetsuya and his accomplices made a fraudulent phone call to their victim and falsely informed the latter that transferring the right to enter a nursing home is a crime,” the BI said.
“As a result, they were able to deceive the victim who was enticed to give them 2.75 million yen, or more than $17,000, in cash via postal mail,” it added
Tetsuya is currently detained at the BI facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City while awaiting deportation.