Businesses linked to SE Asia defrauded £100’s of millions of pounds

[Sceptic]

46 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said:

Could the visas themselves not be fraudulent, ie fake and nothing to do with the visa office??

From what I have been told on this I’m saying no. There are some separate cases where jobs linked to Visa’s or Visa applications have been fake but in the case of the main employment group the consensus seems to be that they got the Visa’s issued in the IOM by the IOM passport office. They have even taken down some of the case studies on the locate.im website relative to the staff of some of the connected companies which said how easy it was to get a Visa in the IOM and what a great place it is. So I would expect major questions to be asked of all the officials involved to establish whether any money has changed hands. I’m not saying it has, but I’m saying that given how the system works in these Visa schemes that the police will likely have to investigate the possibility under anti money laundering powers. People trafficking is a cash up front business and that cash gets paid through the chain to influence what happens. 

[Thefella]

24 minutes ago, germann said:

Tell me you've never visited the Philippines without telling me you've never visited the Philippines. 

I have Frank yes. Are you still scraping the barrel out there.

[germann]

7 minutes ago, Thefella said:

I have Frank yes. Are you still scraping the barrel out there.

I'm not Frank, but speaking of being frank would you care to elaborate on what attracted you to the less salubrious parts of this beautiful country to reach such an opinion? 

[Amadeus]

16 minutes ago, 2112 said:

I wonder if Digital IOM has spoken to @Amadeus to gauge his opinions, before spending taxpayers hard earned money? 
 

The Philippines may be poor compared to some other countries, but it’s good to see they have some morals, unlike the IOM who will chase the fast buck, irrespective of the potential illegality that maybe committed. 

If you're asking if I'm one of the stakeholders the article mentions, then yes. POGO doesn't automatically mean crime. Some of the biggest gambling firms in the world are (were) based in Manila, including prominent names that have (had) offices here and contributed steadily to the IOM economy for many years through employment and gaming tax.

I love the Philippines and to describe it so negatively is not fair. Yes, the POGO regime there was abused by unscrupulous elements that made use of weaknesses in the local environment, but the shutdown has also affected those who just wanted to run a steady business within the framework of the law. If we can grab a few of the good guys and get them here, it’s win-win.

[Thefella]

5 minutes ago, germann said:

I'm not Frank, but speaking of being frank would you care to elaborate on what attracted you to the less salubrious parts of this beautiful country to reach such an opinion? 

A one minute log in 😇

[2112]

8 minutes ago, Amadeus said:

If you're asking if I'm one of the stakeholders the article mentions, then yes. POGO doesn't automatically mean crime. Some of the biggest gambling firms in the world are (were) based in Manila, including prominent names that have (had) offices here and contributed steadily to the IOM economy for many years through employment and gaming tax.

 

I love the Philippines and to describe it so negatively is not fair. Yes, the POGO regime there was abused by unscrupulous elements that made use of weaknesses in the local environment, but the shutdown has also affected those who just wanted to run a steady business within the framework of the law. If we can grab a few of the good guys and get them here, it’s win-win.

 

 

Thanks for replying, and it’s good you are a positive influence within stakeholders. I am afraid of the damage what IOMG could do due to its ‘it’ll do’ attitude, scraping of the bottom of the barrel and chasing the fast buck at any cost. This brings negative publicity and could result in the island and its residents, suffering from bureaucracy. 

[Sceptic]

Sounds like quality to me. I can see why Digital Isle of Man are funding a trip. 

The who’s who and what’s what of POGOs

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/10/29/2396169/what-you-need-know-whos-who-and-whats-what-pogos

Lucky South 99: An illegal POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga, raided by authorities in June following complaints of human trafficking. Approximately 158 foreigners were rescued from the facilities.

Hongsheng Gaming Technology: Located in Bamban, Tarlac, Hongsheng was raided in February 2023 for alleged cryptocurrency scam operations. A total of 850 employees were detained, 350 of whom were foreigners.

Zun Yuan Technology Inc.: Also in Bamban, Zun Yuan was raided in March 2024, resulting in the rescue of 875 workers, 432 of whom were Chinese nationals, according to the Philippine News Agency.

Baofu Land Development: The leasing company where dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo was an incorporator. They owned the land where both Hongsheng and Zun Yuan operated. Despite claiming to have divested before running for mayor, charges from the NBI, AMLC, and PAOCC indicate she was still an incorporator while in government.

Whirlwind Corp.: The company that leased land to Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.

Guo Family businesses: The Guo family owns several businesses, including QJJ Group of Companies and QJJ Slaughter House Inc. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian believes these were used for money laundering, as they showed little profit despite high incomes.

Pharmally: This controversial pharmaceutical company was involved in corruption under former President Rodrigo Duterte and has surfaced in connection with POGOs due to alleged ties with Michael Yang, Duterte’s former economic adviser.

[Amadeus]

27 minutes ago, 2112 said:

Thanks for replying, and it’s good you are a positive influence within stakeholders. I am afraid of the damage what IOMG could do due to its ‘it’ll do’ attitude, scraping of the bottom of the barrel and chasing the fast buck at any cost. This brings negative publicity and could result in the island and its residents, suffering from bureaucracy. 

The industry in the way we have had it here for the last twenty years now is changing, as most countries bring in their own licences and IOM rules are reasonably strict, meaning you can’t target those countries anymore with an IOM licence. It needs a new strategy which is currently being worked on. Potentially a shift to more B2B, which is already a popular licence type, or some other business case that has yet to be developed. For example, could be some type of licence passport that makes getting other (local) licences easier if you have already gotten an IOM one. There are some good ideas but to implement them isn’t easy. Other jurisdictions are beating us in being more efficient and using technology better. We need to modernize and fast.

[Amadeus]

47 minutes ago, Thefella said:

A one minute log in 😇

He's not me so what's your point?

[Amadeus]

21 minutes ago, Sceptic said:

Sounds like quality to me. I can see why Digital Isle of Man are funding a trip. 

The who’s who and what’s what of POGOs

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/10/29/2396169/what-you-need-know-whos-who-and-whats-what-pogos

Lucky South 99: An illegal POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga, raided by authorities in June following complaints of human trafficking. Approximately 158 foreigners were rescued from the facilities.

Hongsheng Gaming Technology: Located in Bamban, Tarlac, Hongsheng was raided in February 2023 for alleged cryptocurrency scam operations. A total of 850 employees were detained, 350 of whom were foreigners.

Zun Yuan Technology Inc.: Also in Bamban, Zun Yuan was raided in March 2024, resulting in the rescue of 875 workers, 432 of whom were Chinese nationals, according to the Philippine News Agency.

Baofu Land Development: The leasing company where dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo was an incorporator. They owned the land where both Hongsheng and Zun Yuan operated. Despite claiming to have divested before running for mayor, charges from the NBI, AMLC, and PAOCC indicate she was still an incorporator while in government.

Whirlwind Corp.: The company that leased land to Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.

Guo Family businesses: The Guo family owns several businesses, including QJJ Group of Companies and QJJ Slaughter House Inc. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian believes these were used for money laundering, as they showed little profit despite high incomes.

Pharmally: This controversial pharmaceutical company was involved in corruption under former President Rodrigo Duterte and has surfaced in connection with POGOs due to alleged ties with Michael Yang, Duterte’s former economic adviser.

You could have just posted one link as all of what you posted there is one big case, which all revolved around the now infamous "POGO Mayor" Alice Guo. I've written many times about them and actually drove to Bamban myself to investigate for the publication that I write for. This is a prime example of the type of business (if you can call it that) that abused the POGO system and ultimately got caught. This case is also one of the reasons the POGO ban happened. They are not a gaming company and not the "who is who" of POGOs.

 

 

 

[The Phantom]

43 minutes ago, Amadeus said:

 Other jurisdictions are beating us in being more efficient and using technology better. We need to modernize and fast.

 

Meanwhile DED is telling us all to use AI but will freely admit they can't get anyone in the rest of Government of the FSA to do the same.   

[FANDL]

16 hours ago, Banker said:

Is this the third thread on same subject!!!

Was hoping there might have been a wider debate here separate to the King Gaming thread on the Island Plan and its focus on population growth at all costs which only seems to have delivered so far:

1. People trafficking

2. VISA abuses

3. Widespread fraud

4. A reputation for the IOM as some sort of dodgy fraud island

Four police investigations now open and hundreds of millions alleged to have been defrauded from people around the world. Minimum checks done on anyone. And a VISA system that incentivized people to come here by avoiding NHS dues that would have been paid in the UK with government openly boasting about the exponential growth in VISA applications since the pandemic. Over 4,400 IOM VISA applications last year. But now we have a major fraud investigation ongoing amongst companies bringing in staff from SE Asia most of whom would have needed a VISA to be here. 

Sort of proves the Island Plan has already massively failed. 

 

[Barlow]

16 hours ago, Thefella said:

A couple of hundred mil scammed. But the CC wants to put in facial recognition cameras on the boat to catch all those low level drug dealers. It’s just smoke and mirrors. 

A druggie bastard is a druggie bastard.

[Max Power]

I'm not against gaming and gambling in moderation, but the whole thing attracts some very clever criminals, in addition to the perfectly legal and responsible operators. Are civil servants, who have generally never risked a thing in their lives, best placed to be able to see through some of the criminal enterprises which create lucrative profits for their enterprise?

[Amadeus]

1 minute ago, Max Power said:

I'm not against gaming and gambling in moderation, but the whole thing attracts some very clever criminals, in addition to the perfectly legal and responsible operators. Are civil servants, who have generally never risked a thing in their lives, best placed to be able to see through some of the criminal enterprises which create lucrative profits for their enterprise?

Fair question. If you're referring to the GSC, then they have always tried to attract the right candidates but recruitment and (more importantly) retention have always been challenges. The industry pays a lot better than the government, leading to many people joining the GSC and the leaving again to work for operators.

In recent times, the recruitment drive seems to have come more from police and banking, meaning a different mindset is now in place at St George’s. The new enforcement team and approach signals that quite well, and they already spoke about it in the audio piece someone shared here a while ago.

Ideally you want people from various sectors. Gambling operators, compliance specialists, regulatory experts and so on. Hard to do if you’re the government and can’t offer competitive salaries, but I think they are doing the best they can and certainly have smart enough cookies on the frontline to understand what gaming companies might be up to.

The whole developments and news stories of recent time feel like the gaming side is not the issue.