Three “shareholders” of Raided POGO Claim to be Victims of Identity Theft

Three individuals have filed charges of identity theft and document falsification against officers of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO). Julian Linsangan, Edwin Ang, and Marion Chua allege that their names were used without their knowledge as shareholders in one of the company’s subsidiary firms.

The three were recently implicated in a high-profile raid on Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. in Porac, Pampanga. They say that their identities were fraudulently used in corporate documents by the POGO’s officials.

Linsangan, Ang, and Chua claim that their signatures were forged on various corporate documents, making them appear as stockholders and key officers–president, treasurer, and director–of Lucky South 99, according to a general information sheet from the company.

The trio have already filed charges against the 13 corporate directors and officers of Lucky South 99 based on an August 10 report published by the Inquirer.

These allegations are particularly significant given that Linsangan was placed on an immigration lookout bulletin order by the Bureau of Immigration on June 21, following the raid conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, which targeted the company for illegal activities.

They say that they were unaware of their supposed involvement with Lucky South 99 until their names were mentioned in the news following the raid. They had previously been approached by Dan dela Cruz, one of the respondents in their complaint, who offered them an investment opportunity in a “new online games business” allegedly to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dela Cruz asked them to submit photocopies of their IDs, specimen signatures, and tax identification numbers, ostensibly for a credit and background check.

Dela Cruz had assured them that no initial investment was required, but instead, he requested their personal information. Later, they were invited to a video conference with Cassandra Ong, who was described as the “boss” handling Singaporean and Chinese investors. During this meeting, Ong purportedly enticed them with promises of a 20 percent annual return on their investment. However, after this interaction, Dela Cruz and Ong never contacted them again.

The situation took a troubling turn when, in June, Chua heard his name mentioned in connection with Lucky South 99 in the news. Upon investigation, the three discovered that their signatures had been forged on the company’s director’s certificate and that they were listed as shareholders with a 33.33 percent stake, amounting to P13 million.

Realizing they had been set up, Linsangan, Ang, and Chua immediately filed separate complaint-affidavits with the Makati prosecutor’s office, accusing 13 corporate directors and officers of Lucky South 99 of falsification and conspiracy.

Among those named in the complaint is Cassandra Ong, who had previously been linked to Lucky South 99 through a meeting with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chair Alejandro Tengco, arranged by lawyer Harry Roque, former spokesperson for ex-President Rodrigo Duterte. The complaint also includes Lucky South 99 corporate secretary Ronalyn Baterna, who recently faced contempt charges from a House committee for refusing to disclose the real owners of the company.

As the investigation unfolds, Linsangan, Ang, and Chua maintain that they were unwitting victims of a scheme to steal their identities for illegal activities, emphasizing that they had never intended to purchase any shares in Lucky South 99 or even knew of its existence until their names were drawn into the controversy.

Read related article: Lucky South 99 POGO Executive Cited in Contempt for Lying Under Oath