Philippine Police Smash Chinese Scam Network, Over 450 Arrested

Last updated on February 24th, 2025 at 12:46 pm

During a large-scale operation, the Philippine police detained more than 450 persons in a raid against a ‘Chinese run’ scam activity in Manila. The crackdown conducted on February 20 resulted in the arrest of 137 Chinese nationals and five Chinese bosses. Police found out that the area was being used as a scam hub. Police also found that scamming victims are from China and India in the forms of sports betting and fake investment plans.

The raid, undertaken even after the ban on Philippine Online Gaming Operators (POGOs) by President Ferdinand Marcos last year proved that such illegal operations are still being carried out. POGOs have been used as fronts for criminal activities of money laundering, human trafficking and online fraud for a long time.

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Gilberto Cruz, head of the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission said that some 21,000 Chinese nationals have been involved in smaller scale scams since the ban. Thursday’s raid is the latest in a string of busts this year, including one in January where some 400 foreigners were arrested in the capital, including several Chinese nationals. This latest raid is one of a larger series of efforts to dismantle such networks which have become increasingly of concern globally because they are linked to human trafficking and other fraudulent schemes like cryptocurrency scams.

This action is another strong move by President Marcos to fight the menace of illegal online transactions and protect national security as the nation moves toward mid-term polls in May.