The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in the Philippines conducted a raid in Angeles City, Pampanga Province, rescuing 84 Filipinos working at a center suspected of conducting "romance scams." The center was disguised as a small Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company.
The operation was carried out under a search warrant issued by April Joy Magsayo-Aguila, Presiding Judge of Branch 61 of the Angeles City District Court, primarily targeting violations of the "Cybercrime Prevention Act." The raid took place at the Living Stone Building in the Salapungan community, and the involved FXTM USDT Forex trading company was sealed due to alleged illegal activities.
Investigations revealed that the company, which was supposed to operate as an FMD non-voice outsourcing service, was actually run by a woman named Irene dela Cruz Vergara. During the operation, law enforcement officers seized a large number of SIM cards, mobile phones, computers, and related documents.
The NBI stated that all 84 rescued Filipinos have been transferred to the office in Clark Freeport for further processing, noting that no foreigners were found during the raid.
The NBI emphasized that this case does not involve Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) or online gambling, but is purely a cybercrime activity. Preliminary investigations show that the scam center was owned and operated by Filipinos, with further confirmations still pending.
