Philippines arrests 244 'mostly Chinese' workers and several Malaysians in online scam crackdown
Philippine authorities have arrested over 200 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, in a major crackdown on illegal online gaming operations. The government banned these operators, known as POGOs, in 2024 due to their links to organized crime, including human trafficking and fraud.
Why it matters
This raid highlights the ongoing regional struggle to curb transnational organized crime linked to the illicit online gambling industry in Southeast Asia.
MANILA: Philippines authorities have arrested more than 200 "mostly Chinese" foreign workers in the country's largest crackdown on illegal online gaming operators this year, the immigration bureau said.
Manila banned Philippine online gaming operators, known locally as POGOs, in 2024 on the grounds that organised crime groups used them as a cover for human trafficking, money laundering, online fraud, kidnappings and murder.
The military and other law enforcement agencies raided two addresses in the southern region of Mindanao on Friday (Oct 2), arresting 110 Chinese nationals, two Cambodians and a Hong Kong resident at one site, an immigration bureau statement released late Saturday said.
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