Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Philippine authorities have arrested more than 450 people in a raid on a online scam center operating as a gambling site allegedly run by a Chinese syndicate. Among those detained were five suspected ringleaders from China.
According to initial investigations by the Philippine National Police, the gambling site on the outskirts of Manila had been operating as a front for fraudulent activities, targeting mainly Chinese and Indian nationals with online sports betting and investment scam.
The country’s Anti-Organized Crime Commission reported that 137 Chinese nationals were among those arrested in Thursday’s raid (February 20). “We have apprehended around five Chinese bosses,” commission chief Gilberto Cruz state on Friday (Feb. 21) as reported by CNN Indonesia.
Online gambling operators in the Philippines, known as POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), were banned last year by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. amid concerns that organized crime groups were using them as a cover for human trafficking, money laundering, online fraud, kidnapping, and even murder.
“This raid proves that former POGO workers are still attempting to carry out their fraudulent schemes despite the ban,” Cruz said.
He previously stated that an estimated 21,000 Chinese nationals continue to run small-scale scam operations in the Philippines following the government’s crackdown on online gambling.
Online Scams Operations
Thursday’s raid was the latest in a series of similar operations this year. In January, about 400 foreign nationals, including many Chinese citizens, were arrested in Manila for their involvement in illegal activities.
A 2024 report by the United States Institute of Peace warned that online scams syndicates are targeting millions of victims worldwide, generating an estimated $64 billion in annual revenue.
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International concerns over such fraud operations have grown in recent years, particularly in parts of Asia, including Philippine where human trafficking victims are often tricked or coerced into promoting fake cryptocurrency investments and other online scam.
(Raidi/Agung)
