(UPDATE) POLICE and government agents on Wednesday arrested more than 400 foreign workers in an alleged Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) scam hub in Pasay City, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) said.
Officers from the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime, with support from Paocc and the Pasay City government, closed the illegal offshore gaming operations inside One Wheels Condominium in the SM MOA Complex.
In a statement, the Paocc said the raid stemmed from a report from a concerned citizen about an influx of foreign nationals going in and out of the building.
During the raid, authorities discovered signs of various scams being run out of the site, including cryptocurrency fraud, love scams, investment scams and spamming activities.
They also found several text blasters, one-time password generators and cold crypto wallets. The scams were primarily conducted using messaging platforms such as Viber and Telegram.
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A total of 401 foreign nationals were arrested, including 207 Chinese, 132 Vietnamese, 24 Koreans, 11 Malaysians, 14 Indonesians, 12 Myanmar citizens and one from Madagascar.
Fifty-two Filipino workers were also found in the scam hub.
The Pasay City government issued a cease and desist order that immediately shut down the operation for lack of a business permit and violations of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ban on POGOs.
In his third State of the Nation Address in July last year, Marcos announced a nationwide ban on all POGOs with a complete phaseout by Dec. 31, 2024, after the industry was linked to a spate of crimes, including human trafficking, prostitution, abduction and murder.
Marcos signed Executive Order 74 on Nov. 4 last year, imposing an immediate ban on offshore and internet gaming operations in the country.
Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, executive director of the Paocc, commended the Pasay City government’s efforts to eradicate the illicit activities of POGOs.
“I hope other LGUs (local government units) will follow the proactive campaign being led by the Pasay LGU under Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano,” he said. “This dismantling of illicit operations by foreigners is due to the help of the Pasay LGU.”
The Paocc said the foreigners arrested were former POGO workers who were shifted over to investment, Bitcoin and love scams.
Calixto-Rubiano said the city government had been strengthening regulations on POGOs even before the President banned them. In fact, 164 POGOs in her city had been suspended since June 2024.
“With our more intensive campaign to totally crackdown on any form of illicit operations by foreigners — whether it is a secret POGO, love scam or anything, that is illegal and unacceptable to our government, I warn you — we are going after you, and we will ensure that you will be punished by the law,” she added.
