401 arrested in raid on scam hub in Pasay City
Those arrested included nationals from eight countries.
The Philippines.- The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has arrested 401 foreign nationals (207 Chinese, 132 Vietnamese, 24 Koreans, 11 Malaysians, 14 Indonesians, 12 Myanmar nationals, and one person from Madagascar), in a raid on a scam operator in Pasay City. Some 52 Filipino workers were also found at the site.
The PAOCC, along with the Pasay City government, the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Cybercrime, found the operation at One Wheels Condominiums. They said a range of fraudulent activities were being operated, including cryptocurrency fraud, love scams and investment scams. Investigators found text blasters, one-time password generators, and cold crypto wallets. The majority of the scams were conducted through messaging platforms like Viber and Telegram.
The Pasay City government issued a cease and desist order to shut down the operation for lack of a business permit and violations of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s ban on offshore gaming operators.
A week ago, Winston Casio, director and spokesperson for PAOCC, said that the southern part of Metro Manila, including Pasay, Parañaque, and Makati, remained a hotspot for illegal offshore gaming operators. Casio said the PAOCC was gathering evidence against local government units (LGUs) after raids on offshore gaming operators in their areas and investigating whether officials might be responsible for allowing the operations to continue. Casio did not mention any probe for Parañaque or Makati.
