Authorities arrest 401 foreign workers in POGO scam, uncover illicit activities

Authorities arrested 401 foreign workers from an alleged Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) scam hub in Pasay City on Wednesday and another 20 foreigners in Parañaque City on Friday.

Local authorities, including the Pasay City government, PNP-CIDG, DOJ-OOC, and PAOCC, conducted a raid that led to the immediate closure of the illegal operation inside One Wheels Condominiums for lack of a business permit.

The arrested individuals include 207 Chinese nationals, 132 Vietnamese nationals, 24 Korean nationals, 11 Malaysian nationals, 14 Indonesian nationals, 12 Myanmar nationals, and one from Madagascar, along with 52 Filipino workers in Pasay City. In Parañaque, the operation included suspects arrested at Aseana 3, West Tower.

During both raids, operatives uncovered evidence of various illicit activities such as cryptocurrency scams, love scams, investment scams, and spamming, including text blasters, one-time password generators, and cold crypto wallets used for phishing links and scams targeting both foreigners and Filipinos.

The Pasay City Government promptly issued a Cease and Desist Order (CDO), effectively shutting down the operation site. The NBI also uncovered a fully operational online scam hub in Parañaque following a complaint from a Chinese national, leading to the arrest of 20 foreigners including an alleged captor named Liu Zhi Tao.

The arrests were made under the recently signed Anti-Financial Fraud Act (AFASA) and highlight ongoing challenges despite President Marcos Jr.'s ban on POGOs announced in his third State of the Nation Address.