**Philippine Ex-Mayor Alice Guo Involved in International Fraud Case**
The case involving Alice Guo, the former mayor of Bamban City in the Philippines’s Tarlac Province, accused of fraud and other illicit activities, continues to unravel. With the assistance of multiple countries, the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has expedited its crackdown, leading to the arrest of Guo’s cousin, Shiela Leal Guo, who has been confirmed as a Chinese citizen. The Guo case is just a part of a large international criminal network, with Chinese phone scams spreading to the West, raising concerns about the proliferation of “pig-killing schemes.”
Shiela Leal Guo and her partner Cassandra Li Ong were apprehended in Indonesia and brought back to the Philippines for interrogation on August 22. Through fingerprint matching analysis, the NBI confirmed that Shiela Leal Guo is the same person as Zhang Mier, a Chinese citizen. Zhang Mier’s Chinese passport was also seized during the investigation.
It is worth mentioning that Zhang Mier is not Guo Huaping’s sister, as portrayed by some media outlets, but her cousin.
On August 27, Zhang Mier attended a hearing at the Senate involving multiple departments, admitting that she was born in China and brought to the Philippines in 2001. She revealed that the Filipino birth certificate issued in 2005 listed parents who were not her biological ones; she identified Guo Huaping’s supposed mother, Lin Wenyi, as her “aunt.” She claimed to have no knowledge of Guo Huaping or her father’s involvement in any online gambling activities.
Zhang Mier disclosed that she, along with Guo Huaping and her brother Wesley Guo, departed the Philippines in early July via several vessels, passing through Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Guo Huaping left Indonesia’s Batam Island on August 21, and Zhang Mier is unaware of her current whereabouts. Zhang Mier and Wesley Guo initially planned to return to Singapore and then proceed to Hong Kong but later got separated.
In a surprising revelation, Zhang Mier disclosed that Guo Huaping and Wesley Guo are not biological siblings.
Immigration authorities stated that once all pending criminal cases against Zhang Mier are resolved, and all other obligations are fulfilled, she will be deported for being unwanted and obtaining Philippine citizenship through false statements. As she was found possessing a valid Chinese passport under the name Zhang Mier.
Philippine Immigration Bureau Director Norman Tansingco informed the Senate committee on August 27 that the deposed Bamban City Mayor Alice Guo is reportedly currently in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Tansingco mentioned that Guo Huaping relocated to Jakarta from Batam Island, and this move was monitored by Indonesian immigration authorities. The Philippines has formally requested extradition from Indonesian authorities, and both sides are closely coordinating.
Tansingco also noted that Guo Huaping’s brother, Wesley Guo, left Batam Island for Hong Kong on August 20. The Philippine Immigration Bureau has requested information from Hong Kong immigration to confirm his arrival.
Winston Casio, the spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) in the Philippines, previously suggested that the “Golden Triangle” region in Southeast Asia might be Guo Huaping’s final destination.
The Golden Triangle refers to a triangular area at the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos in Southeast Asia, known for being a hub of various criminal activities. If Guo Huaping reaches the Golden Triangle, apprehending her would be challenging.
Casio indicated that the Golden Triangle is the most likely destination for Guo Huaping because the Guo family has gambling-related businesses in Cambodia, and their gang is part of the criminal underworld in the Golden Triangle, belonging to a larger criminal organization.
Guo Huaping faces multiple charges for her alleged involvement in illegal offshore gambling operations in Bamban City.
The PAOCC is currently seeking an Interpol blue notice for Guo Huaping to enhance monitoring her activities.
The Guo Huaping case has shocked both the public and the authorities, revealing that Chinese fraud syndicates have infiltrated Philippine government agencies and paved the way for illicit activities using their influence. After being dismissed pending investigation, she managed to escape right under people’s noses.
Casio expressed concerns that there are potentially hundreds of illegal online gambling companies operating scams right under the noses of government officials, with Guo Huaping’s case being just the tip of the iceberg.
Philippine authorities have also discovered Guo Huaping’s connections with criminal gangs in several countries.
Casio mentioned that Zhang Jie, a Singaporean citizen, who booked hotel rooms for Guo Huaping and her associates, is the former CEO of Lucky South 99 outsourcing inc, a rogue online gambling company based in Porac, Pampanga. Zhang Jie is currently wanted by the Philippine government.
Lucky South 99, once a licensed POGO, was involved in criminal activities under the guise of legitimate operations. A raid on their online gambling hub in June this year rescued more than 150 foreigners from China, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Myanmar, some of whom were victims of kidnapping and torture. The search uncovered numerous crimes, including kidnapping, torture, and sex trafficking, linked to the Chinese leader of the company, as well as military uniforms of the PLA, and police uniforms bearing the insignia of the armed police of the CCP.
Lucky South 99’s main asset, known as the “Thai Royal Palace Resort” within the Manx Internet Commerce (MIC) group. After the crackdown on the bogus operations, there was a lot of fear among Filipino-Chinese people due to reports of kidnappings, torture, and killings from the “number three district.”
Victims who were well-informed expressed their perspectives online, stating that the number three district was the origin of rampant kidnappings in the Polark area. Many kidnapping cases in the Philippines are related to this district, where many kidnapped individuals from China are taken after being extorted for ransom money. The number three district serves as a protective shield for these kidnappers, where they operate freely without consequences. The exposure of the activities in the number three district has been relieving to many.
Following the investigation at the number three district, the Police Chief of Polark district and the head of the Pampanga Police Department were both dismissed pending investigation.
Cassandra Li Ong, detained alongside Zhang Mier, is a shareholder in Lucky South 99 and acted as the company’s representative for daily operations. As a management-level figure, she is facing more severe charges than Zhang Mier.
In a previous statement by the Philippine National Police Public Information Office, evidence found indicated that the founders of Lucky South 99 were involved in illegal activities at the Baofu LandDevelopment Inc.
The Philippine Department of Justice also revealed that Cassandra Li Ong and Zhang Mier solidified the connection between Polark and Bamban City’s POGO operations.
This implies that Guo Huaping’s gambling company, ZunYuan technology, in the Baofu Land Development Inc., and Lucky South 99 in Polark share close ties within illegal criminal groups.
Guo Huaping’s foreign accomplices include not just Cassandra Li Ong and Zhang Jie but also Lin Baoying and Zhang Ruijin, Guo’s investment partners in the Baofu Land, who were also key figures in a major money laundering case in Singapore. Lin and Zhang were convicted by a Singaporean court, released on June 15, and subsequently deported to Cambodia, with a permanent ban from entering Singapore.
Numerous exposed pieces of evidence show that the modus operandi of online scams involves love scams, investment scams, cryptocurrency scams, impersonation scams, often leading to elaborate traps known as “pig-killing schemes.” The individuals executing these schemes are often victims of trafficking, kidnapping, and torture.
The exploitation of Chinese nationals by other Chinese nationals extends beyond the Philippines, with Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar being gathering spots for Chinese scam syndicates. With an increased crackdown on gambling scams by several nations, post-2020 pandemic, many Chinese online gambling operators have shifted from the Philippines to the Middle East and other more lenient gambling jurisdictions.
There are signs that Chinese network fraud is venturing into Western countries from Asia. Numerous individuals have fallen into recruitment scams for “tech companies,” becoming unwitting members of “pig-killing scheme” fraud operations.
According to a BBC investigation at the end of 2021, nearly 100 Chinese individuals arrived in the Isle of Man from the Philippines to work for Manx Internet Commerce (MIC), defrauding millions of dollars from Chinese victims.
Bill Morgan, a Chinese national holding a Nicaraguan passport, is the sole owner of MIC and several affiliated companies, operating large online gambling companies like King Gaming across the Philippines and the Isle of Man. In July this year, both companies had their gambling licenses revoked by the Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) on the Isle of Man.
Six members of the company were arrested back in China and convicted of fraud at the end of 2023. The court in Wu Zhi County, Henan Province, mentioned that the fraud group adeptly utilized convincing “pig-killing scheme” tactics.
Experts specializing in the United Nations’ organized crime division commented that this was the first case they encountered of such a scam setup in Western countries.
Currently, various forms of pig-killing schemes are spreading internationally. Even in the United States, despite not having identified gambling fraud centers, numerous individuals, mostly Chinese nationals, have been defrauded by these schemes.
Tools used by fraudsters to identify victims include WeChat, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, as well as Bumble and Tinder, among various communication and social software platforms, ensnaring even Silicon Valley executives.
Commenting on the incessant rise of Chinese fraudsters worldwide, political commentator Tang Jingyuan highlighted the negative impact of the Chinese regime on governance in China. Under the Communist dictatorship, Chinese people lack moral beliefs and aspire for instant wealth; widespread fabrication and opportunistic behaviors among the elites and wealthy businessmen are rampant. Individuals involved in incidents like tainted milk, fake rice, counterfeit vaccines, illegal organ trafficking, and selling gutter oil might eventually transition to telecommunications fraud; under a profit motive, moral degradation intensifies, hence Chinese fraud schemes leading the global scene, wreaking havoc worldwide.