MANILA, Philippines – There is an all out ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) but a scam hub with a POGO license was able to continue operating in Pasay, just beside the World Trade Center.
A joint operation on Thursday, October 3, busted a love scam hub operating on the first floor of a two-storey building.
A total of 261 people were caught in the raid, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). Of those, 188 were foreigners, and 73 were Filipinos who were mostly male. Around a dozen were female.
By the entrance of the maze of quarters hang the permits: an Internet Gaming License (IGL) from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) issued in September 2023 and valid until September 2025.
IGL was the new name of POGO, but they are essentially the same. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s all-out ban clearly covered IGL operators, and they were supposed to be already winding down by the end of the year.
“They have allegedly a license from Pagcor, but we will still verify with Pagcor and even with the local government, they were showing a permit. But again, we still need to verify with the local government,” PAOCC chief Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said.
Cruz said that based on an initial sweep, there didn’t appear to be traces of torture and prostitution, unlike previous hubs raided.
This was also a much smaller operation. Bureau of Immigration (BI) operatives interviewed the foreigners to determine whether they had proper documents to work in the Philippines.
Rappler saw traces of their operation, which seemed to have stopped midway when the raid happened. Facebook appeared to be one of the platforms they used to lure and scam victims. They also used secure messaging apps like Telegram and Signal.
The hub did not have sleeping quarters, unlike other hubs that had their own complex. Cruz said they appear to be housed at a nearby condominium unit, and fetched to and from the building. Authorities also found a total of 11 vehicles.
There were a couple who appeared to be bosses, said the operatives.
“‘Yun nga nakakalungkot, despite the pronouncement ng ating Pangulo and yet may ganito pa rin, they still continue to scam,” said Cruz.
(That’s what’s sad, despite the pronouncement of the President, this is still happening, they continue to scam.)
The BI has called on POGO workers, even the legitimate ones, to volunteer downgrading their working visas to tourist visas. Ideally, there should no longer be IGL/POGO licensees by the end of the year.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said if he were to compute, based on knowledge of how scam hubs operations, their 32 teams in this building can earn around P350 million a week.
Like other scam hubs, victims are lured into investment schemes including cryptocurrency.
The permits on the wall were eventually removed, and personnel from Pagcor arrived. They did not identify themselves to the media, but they said that based on their records, the hub has been declared non-operational. They could not offer more details. – Rappler.com
