In a massive joint raid that felt more like a high-stakes guild war, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Special Action Unit (NBI-SAU) has officially ban-hammered five Korean nationals. The suspects were caught running illegal, real-world-money (RMT) gold-farming operations across two separate map locations: Imus City, Cavite, and Angeles City, Pampanga. The NBI confirmed that these real-life grinders were using the classic MMORPG Lineage Classic to farm massive amounts of "Adena," the game’s primary virtual currency, to flip it on secondary black markets for cold, hard, real-world cash.
The Raid on the Cavite Loot Cave
Following some heavy recon work and intelligence gathering, NBI-SAU scouts confirmed the exact coordinates of the illicit operations involving computers, "chichiria", and softdrinks. Instead of launching a standard DPS phase, agents took the legal route, successfully applying for a Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD), a high-tier legal spell required to breach cyber-defenses.
On May 8, agents executed the WSSECD on a building in Buhay na Tubig, Imus City, clearing out the second and third floors. Authorities seized an array of high-spec rigs running Lineage Classic macro loops, alongside communication channels where tasks and patch updates were coordinated.
The NBI also uncovered a grueling labor setup that breached both standard human endurance and labor laws. Local Filipino workers were forced into a brutal 12-hour daily grind with only a single rest day per week, a schedule that puts even the most hardcore MMO progression guilds and gamers to shame.
The raid resulted in the arrest of the Korean dungeon boss (the supervisor) and his two elite mobs (cohorts).
The Legal Debuff: The Cavite trio has been slapped with violations of Republic Act 12010 (Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act) and RA 8282 (Social Security Act of 1997). Turns out, failing to pay your workers' SSS contributions while forcing them to farm Adena carries a heavy statutory penalty.
Clearing the Angeles City Instance
Not content with just one server wipe, the NBI-SAU joined forces with the NBI-Tarlac District Office on May 15 to clear a second location in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Executing another WSSECD, agents successfully aggroed and arrested two (2) more Korean nationals, confiscating another massive hoard of computer rigs dedicated to the illegal farming operation. The following are the summary of the two raids/operations:
Imus City Campaign (May 8):
Arrests: 3 Korean Nationals (1 Supervisor, 2 Cohorts).
Loot Confiscated: Multiple PCs running Lineage Classic and operational communications data.
Legal Charges Filed: RA 12010 (Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act) and RA 8282 (Social Security Act of 1997).
Angeles City Campaign (May 15):
Arrests: 2 Korean Nationals.
Loot Confiscated: Multiple PC sets fully configured for illegal gold farming.
Legal Charges Filed: RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) and RA 12010 (Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act).
Permabanned from the Physical World:
While Lineage Classic is famous for its grueling player-versus-player (PvP) combat and clan warfare, these five suspects learned the hard way that the ultimate PvP zone is the Philippine justice system. Their illegal macros, sweatshop-level grinding conditions, and RMT schemes have officially been patched out by the NBI.
The suspects are currently in custody, facing a long-term prison sentence with absolutely zero chance of a respawn or a successful appeal to the Game Masters. The NBI has made it clear that if you try to exploit the economy, the state will aggregate maximum aggro and delete your operation.
Source: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1275386
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