Immigration authorities arrested a Korean fugitive wanted for at least 40 crimes, including large-scale fraud and scam, in Korea who had been hiding in the Philippines for almost four years.
Lim Jong Keon was nabbed inside a condominium in Sucat, Parañaque by the Bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit.
“He is the subject of an Interpol notice, and has been tagged as one of Korea’s most wanted criminals due to the large number of people that he had victimized,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said.
Lim will be deported at the request of the Korean Embassy in Manila, which informed the BI of Lim’s pending cases in Korean courts where he was charged with large-scale fraud.
BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval disclosed that Lim sold non-existent smart phones and other retail items to Koreans via his web portal and pocketed the money remitted to his account by hundreds of unsuspecting victims.
Sandoval said no less than 381 individuals were already victimized by Lim’s racket, which resulted in cases filed against him.
“Reports from Korean authorities state that he has already scammed more than 150 million won,” she said. “He has been wanted in Korea since 2013, and is facing a possible 10 years of imprisonment,” she said .
“We have strengthened our FSU and our coordination with Interpol and other foreign governments to ensure that fugitives will not use the country to hide from justice,” Morente said, adding “Foreign fugitives are not welcome in the Philippines.”
Lim is currently detained at the Bureau’s Detention Facility pending his deportation.