The Philippines has completely banned offshore gaming operators (POGO), yet a scam center holding a POGO license continues to operate next to the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
On Thursday, October 3, police dismantled a romance scam center located on the first floor of a two-story building during a joint operation.
According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the raid resulted in the arrest of 261 individuals, 188 of whom were foreigners and 73 were Filipinos, mostly males with about a dozen females.
A labyrinth-like dormitory entrance displayed a license: an Internet Gaming License (IGL) issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) in September 2023, valid until September 2025.
IGL is the new name for POGO, but essentially they are the same. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s comprehensive ban apparently covers IGL operators, who were supposed to shut down by the end of this year.
"It is claimed that they obtained a permit from Pagcor, but we will still verify with Pagcor, and even with the local government, they also showed a permit. But again, we still need to verify with the local government," said PAOCC Deputy Chief Gilbert Cruz.
Cruz mentioned that, unlike previously raided hubs, there were no signs of torture or prostitution at this location.
This was also a much smaller operation. Immigration officers interviewed the foreigners to determine if they had the proper documents to work in the Philippines.
Rappler saw traces of their operations; during the raid, their activities seemed to have been abruptly stopped. 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 center did not have dormitories, unlike other hubs that have their own dormitories. Cruz said they seemed to be housed in nearby apartment units and were shuttled to the building. Authorities also found a total of 11 vehicles.
Staff mentioned that some individuals appeared to be the bosses.
"It's sad that despite the president's announcement, these things are still happening, they continue to scam," Cruz said.
The Bureau of Immigration urged POGO workers (even legal ones) to voluntarily downgrade their work visas to tourist visas. Ideally, by the end of this year, IGL/POGO license holders will no longer exist.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio stated that if he calculated based on his understanding of how the scam center operated, the 32 teams inside the building could earn about 350 million pesos per week.
Like other scam centers, victims were lured into investment schemes including cryptocurrencies.
The license on the wall was eventually removed, and Pagcor staff arrived. They did not reveal their identities to the media, but they stated that according to their records, the hub had been declared to cease operations. They could not provide further details.
