Philippine police raided a Chinese-run scam center in the capital city of Manila, arresting dozens of Filipino and foreign workers who were allegedly involved in defrauding people through a “manipulated” trading platform.
According to local reports, the center was operating under the guise of a licensed online gaming company, which President Ferdinand Marcos had banned last month due to the industry’s links to scams, kidnapping, human trafficking, and murder.
Among the 67 foreigners arrested during the pre-dawn raid on August 22nd on an office tower in the metropolis were 58 Chinese nationals, as well as individuals from Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Additionally, 32 Filipinos were also apprehended.
The owner and manager of the facility, both Chinese nationals, were among those arrested, the police said in a statement.
The police stated that the center was running a “crypto-currency investment scam” and a “love scam,” with employees posing as wealthy models who would “entice” victims to invest in the “manipulated” trading platform.
The Filipinos arrested told the police that they were forced to work as scammers, although the statement did not specify what would happen if they refused.
Furthermore, some employees were made to “dress in a seductive manner” and engage in “lascivious conduct” to help lure prospective victims, the statement added.
The crackdown comes after Marcos issued a ban on online gambling operators last month, following a public outcry over allegations that a local mayor, Alice Guo of Bamban municipality, was involved in a huge scam center north of Manila.
Guo, who was accused of being a Chinese citizen who fraudulently obtained Filipino citizenship to run for office, has since left the country, prompting Marcos to vow to go after those who “aided in her flight,” stating that “heads will roll.”
Authorities believe that there could be several hundred illegal online gambling entities, as well as many of the more than 40 licensed operators, that are running scam centers under the noses of public officials.
