Philippines arrests 244 'mostly Chinese' workers in online scam crackdown

Philippines authorities 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 organized 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, arresting 110 Chinese nationals, two Cambodians and a Hong Kong resident at one site, an immigration bureau statement released late Saturday said.

Another 131 foreigners were arrested at the second site. They were "mostly Chinese" and also included citizens of Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.

The bureau said "large quantities" of computer equipment, mobile phones, laptops and SIM cards were seized.

The government is investigating possible human trafficking-related offenses by a number of those arrested, while the rest will be deported.

Workers during a raid on a suspected online scam farm in Manila on Jan. 31, 2025. Photo by AFP

International concern has grown in recent years over similar scam operations in other Asian nations that are often staffed by trafficking victims tricked or coerced into promoting bogus cryptocurrency investments and other cons.

"We will continue to enforce our immigration laws against foreign nationals who violate the conditions of their stay and ensure that the Philippines is not used as a base for illegal activities," immigration chief Joel Viado said in the statement.

He described the raids as "the largest POGO bust of 2026".

"We are reaching out to the Philippine law enforcement agencies on the details of this case," Chinese embassy spokesman Ji Lingpeng told AFP.

"Chinese law prohibits any form of gambling including Chinese nationals gambling overseas or working for gambling companies," he added.