Philippine authorities conducted a raid on a commercial building in Makati City, which was suspected to be an office for a Philippine online gambling company.
On Thursday night, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) together with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Makati Local Government Unit (LGU) raided a suspected POGO center in Ayala, Makati City. However, the suspects had fled by the time they arrived.
According to a report by RH 27 Noche Cacas, authorities confirmed that one of the floors in the commercial building indeed housed a POGO operation. The Makati Business Permits Office is currently verifying whether its employees hold licenses or have obtained work permits. Additionally, they are checking if other businesses in the building comply with the issued commercial permits.
The authorities also mentioned that they are still investigating how the employees managed to escape before the raid took place. Nevertheless, PAOCC Deputy Minister Gilbert Cruz stated that at least they were able to shut down the operation.
During the raid, authorities discovered mobile phones and pre-registered SIM cards. Moreover, they found scripts containing instructions on how to conduct scam center operations, cryptocurrency, and investment frauds.
Cruz emphasized that a training room was set up for Filipinos to understand fraudulent activities.
On Monday, PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio stated that they plan to completely shut down POGO by the end of this year.
