Building in Philippines hides dark secret ripping off Aussies

Unassuming corporate offices across Asia are hiding illegal operations costing Australians big time.

It may look like any other call centre, but inside workers are scamming people around the globe, including Australians, out of their hard earned money.

The Australian Federal Police on Tuesday released pictures of an offshore scam centre, also known as a boiler room, in the Philippines.

They say unassuming corporate offices across Asia are hiding scammers who are pretending to be romantic partners, crypto enthusiasts and investment gurus to defraud victims online.

An offshore scam centre, also known as a boiler room, in the Philippines. Picture: AFP

Australians lost more than $2.03 billion dollars to scams last year, according to reports made to Scamwatch, ReportCyber, IDCARE, Australian Financial Crimes Exchange and ASIC.

The top five scams were investment ($945m) romance ($156.8m), payment redirection ($152.6m), remote access ($106m) and phishing ($84.5m).

Authorities say these illegal operations are happening inside unassuming corporate offices. Picture: AFP

The AFP announced it had deployed two cybercrime experts to support AFP liaison officers in the Philippines in tackling the problem.

The experts are delivering training to local law enforcement such as the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC), National Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Division and Special Taskforce, and the Philippines National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group.

The first five-day intensive workshop was held in a former scam hub, which has been repurposed into government offices.

PAOCC undersecretary Gilberto DC Cruz said the training has “empowered” officers with “essential tools” to combat cybercrime.

Authorities say these illegal operations are happening inside unassuming corporate offices. Picture: AFP

The AFP’s global Operation Firestorm, launched in August last year to disrupt offshore scam centres targeting Australian victims, has helped take down three centres in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Hundreds of alleged offenders have been arrested and thousands of electronic devices seized.

Thousands of electronic devices have been seized in Operation Firestorm. Picture: AFP

AFP commander of cybercrime operations, Graeme Marshall, said on Tuesday: “To stop scams at their roots, we must target and disrupt scam centre boiler rooms fuelling their growth and outreach.

“Our priority is to protect Australians and their savings, from being defrauded by scammers wherever they may be in the world.

“The AFP will continue to work alongside Philippine law enforcement as well as law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia in the shared fight against online fraud and scams, further demonstrating the value of international co-operation in addressing this ever-evolving threat.”

AFP liaison officers are also based in Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar to help local law enforcement agencies bring down scam centres.

Originally published as Building in Philippines hides dark secret ripping off Aussies