414 rounded up in Parañaque scam hub raid

MANILA, Philippines — Over 400 foreign and Filipino workers were apprehended when police raided a suspected online scam hub in Parañaque yesterday.

Armed with a warrant to search, seize and examine computer data issued by a Manila court, personnel of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) swooped down on the ninth floor of a building in Barangay Baclaran at around 2 a.m.

Police said the raid stemmed from information that the establishment, which presented itself as a licensed Philippine offshore gaming operator or POGO, was involved in cryptocurrency and love scams.

The company allegedly employed customer service representatives to disguise as wealthy models and lure victims to invest in a manipulated cryptocurrency exchange or trading platform.

“They showed lewd acts to entice those who want to invest in cryptocurrency,” Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, said at a news briefing at Camp Crame.

Police said 414 people were arrested during the raid and a probe is ongoing to determine who among them are suspects.

Among those arrested were 48 Chinese, two citizens from Myanmar, a Malaysian, one Indonesian and a Vietnamese.

NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the informant identified Chinese nationals Nan Shan, Detu Su and Wu Jian Bin as the alleged officials of the POGO hub.

Upon questioning, Nartatez said the Filipino suspects told police investigators they were forced to work as scammers while the models were coerced into dressing seductively and performing lewd acts to entice potential victims.

Charges of computer-related fraud under Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, violation of RA 8799, also known as the Securities Regulations Code, and lack of internet gaming permit from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. are being readied against the suspects, according to the NCRPO.