The six Filipino suspects in custody. — Photo courtesy of the police

HCM CITY — Police in HCM City have charged and detained six Filipino nationals accused of running a scheme that targeted foreign tourists, most of them elderly and traveling alone, luring them into rigged card games before robbing them outright.

Investigators identified Del Rosario Rafael Macapanas, 40, as the ring's leader, responsible for assigning roles and dividing the proceeds after each job.

The other five suspects are Pardo Oscar Winkler, 76; De Vera Diosdado, 66; Pardo Maria Lanie, 51; Villarin Bregida, 59; and Bernardino Rolando Lim, 51.

According to the investigation, the group would strike up a friendly acquaintance with a visitor, then walk them to a rented apartment or room that had been set up in advance for the scam.

Once inside, the roles were tightly scripted. One member would pose as a chance acquaintance and suggest a casual card game; another would play a wealthy fellow gambler; and Macapanas would deal the cards, quietly steering the outcome so the tourist kept winning.

After the victim believed the game was easy money, a fourth member – playing the 'loser' – would grow visibly frustrated and press to keep playing to win back his money.

To convince the victim he could cover his bets, he would pull out wads of fake 'underworld money,' the ornamental currency Vietnamese burn in ancestor-worship rituals, passing it off as real cash.

The group would then ask the tourist to prove that they, too, had the means to play for higher stakes, prompting the victim to withdraw real money and bring it back to the game. The moment the visitor let their guard down, the scammers would seize the cash and disappear.

Police say the group operated on a fixed commission structure: those who approached and lured in victims took a 20 per cent cut of whatever was stolen, the 'losing' player received 5 per cent, and Macapanas took 10 per cent for organising the operation and dealing the cards.

Between May 2025 and their arrest, authorities say the ring carried out 18 successful scams, stealing roughly US$10,000 in total from foreign tourists. — VNS