Philippines arrests 400 foreigners in scam centre raid

AFP | Manila

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Around 400 foreign nationals were arrested yesterday in a “large-scale” raid on a suspected online scam farm in Manila, the national immigration agency said.

Authorities raided a building and found workers allegedly engaged in online scam operations targeting victims abroad.

International concern has grown in recent years over similar scam operations in Asia which are often staffed by trafficking victims who were tricked or coerced into promoting bogus cryptocurrency investments and other cons.

“Their operations were found to be in violation of immigration laws and posed significant risks to the public,” Fortunato Manahan, the Bureau of Immigration intelligence division chief, said in a statement describing the latest raid.

President Ferdinand Marcos in July announced a ban by the end of 2024 on Philippine online gaming operators (POGO) that Manila says have been used as cover by organised crime groups for human trafficking, money laundering, online fraud, kidnappings and even murder.