MANILA – Two Liberian nationals were arrested in Quezon City for their involvement in a “black dollar scam.”
Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), confirmed the arrest on Tuesday, stating that the suspects, identified as Gorge and Johnson, were taken into custody at a motel in Barangay Kamuning at approximately 5:20 p.m. on January 31.
The suspects are believed to be part of a larger African criminal gang operating the black dollar scam throughout Metro Manila and surrounding areas. The scam deceives victims into paying for chemicals they are told will convert counterfeit money into real US dollars.
The operation followed a complaint from an entrepreneur named Susana, who reported that the suspects had convinced her to purchase these chemicals. She ended up paying the suspects PHP1.8 million for the materials.
Authorities seized several items during the operation, including one genuine PHP1,000 bill, 20 counterfeit US dollar bills, a suitcase, a vault with cotton and powdered chemicals, a stack of green paper resembling banknotes, several ID cards, and three mobile phones.
