2 Africans nabbed for ‘Black Dollar’ scam in Pasay City

Authorities have arrested two West African nationals in Pasay City for allegedly attempting to defraud a Korean businessman through a so-called “Black Dollar” scam.

According to John Consulta’s report on 24 Oras on Wednesday, operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation’s Organized and Transnational Crime Division apprehended the suspects in a hotel after they accepted marked money from an undercover agent.

Investigators also seized various paraphernalia reportedly used in the scheme.

The victim said he began sending money to the suspects in July to cover supposed “logistics” for crates of gold and millions of dollars they claimed he would bring to Korea.

He later realized he had been duped after handing over a total of P10 million.

The NBI said the suspects brought the victim to Pampanga to show him the alleged crates of cash and gold, even providing a sample to make the scheme appear legitimate.

One suspect allegedly introduced himself as a grandchild of Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general.

He claimed to possess $100 million and 100 kilos of gold intended for investment, and told the victim he needed to shoulder the cost of transporting the supposed assets to Korea.

Investigators later determined that all documents given to the victim were fake and that the suspects had prior criminal records.

“Initial ano namin ay may blacklist order at warchlist order na ang mga ito. Ininquest na namin sa piskal at the same time dinala namin for inquest sa Immigration for undesirability kasi bailable itong kaso nila," said Jerome Bomediano, chief of the NBI Organized and Transnational Crime Division.

(Initially, we found that they already had a blacklist order and a watchlist order. We had them inquested with the prosecutor, and at the same time, we brought them for inquest at the Bureau of Immigration for undesirability because their case is available.)

"Pag di natin in-inquest sa BI, magbabail lang ito at manloloko ulit dito pa sa atin,” he added.

(If the NBI hadn’t subject them to inquest proceedings, they would have just posted bail and continued scamming people here.)

The suspects have yet to issue a statement.

They are facing charges of estafa, illegal use of an alias, use of falsified documents, and money laundering—Mariel Celine Serquiña/MCG, GMA Integrated News