Authorities in the Philippines raided a POGO facility in the freeport zone in Bataan on Thursday, rescuing nearly 1,000 workers from an alleged scam hub.
The operation was conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police – Special Action Force and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
The facility was being operated in CentroPark in Bagac, Bataan, with authorities securing a search warrant on October 29th.
Authorities say that the facility was used to conduct online gambling operations, love scams and other cyberscams.
The building house a dormitory and six buildings for running operations.
A PAOCC spokesperson said that the company operated under a permit from the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan but did not have a license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
“The companies are under Central Park, and owned by Central One Bataan. The property is part of the Camaya land development. So the primary lessor is Camaya land development,” indicated the PAOCC spokesperson.
In total Central One had 1,500 employees, the majority of them Filipino.
Some 50 foreigners were amongst those detained during the raid, with authorities indicating the foreign nationals will be held separately from the Filipino workers.
