MANILA — The United States government has seized a Telegram channel allegedly used to recruit Filipinos and other foreign nationals into a scam hub operation in Cambodia under the guise of high-paying jobs.

The United States Department of Justice said the channel was linked to a scam compound in rural Cambodia near the Thai border that targeted American victims.

Named “POGO JOB HIRING 2023,” the channel reportedly had more than 6,000 followers and posted job listings seeking workers with “American” accents, night-shift availability, and in some cases attractive female applicants allegedly intended for romance scams.

According to the US DOJ, individuals who were recruited and brought to Cambodia were later held against their will and forced to participate in fraudulent operations.

“In the fraud scheme, victims received cold calls from individuals posing as bank representatives, including impersonators of JPMorgan or other US bank customer service agents, warning them that their bank accounts had been used to purchase firearms from an actual US gun store website,” it said.

Victims were then reportedly transferred to individuals posing as “NYPD detectives” or other law enforcement officers, and later to supposed officials from the “New York Supreme Court” or prosecutors.

The scammers allegedly used pressure through platforms such as WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams to coerce victims into giving up bank details and transferring their savings.

The seizure of the Telegram channel forms part of coordinated efforts under the US-led Scam Center Strike Force targeting scam networks operating across Southeast Asia.

In a separate briefing, US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said criminal charges and arrest warrants have been filed against two Chinese nationals allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investment scams operating at the Shunda compound in Myanmar.

The individuals were identified as Huang Xingshan, also known as “Ah Zhe,” and Huang Xing Saan, and Jiang Wen Jie, also known as “Jiang Nan.”

Pirro also announced the takedown of more than 500 scam-related websites and a reward program for information leading to the recovery of illicit proceeds tied to a scam center in Myanmar.

“This is not just economic, this involves human trafficking as well as torture. We have seized the sites, and we are coming for the rest. These criminals thought they were untouchable because they are overseas, today, we have proved them wrong, and we’re just getting started,” Pirro said.