The Immigration Mission Order is also included in the operation because the said individual is an employee of a suspected POGO who has been under surveillance for several months. A total of 453 employees, including 146 foreigners mostly Chinese, were caught on three floors of the building believed to be operating illegal offshore gaming and scam activities.
According to PAOCC Spokesperson Director Winston Casio, the company has been operating for two years and moved from ASEANA to the current location when the situation there started to heat up.
Based on the initial analysis of computer screens and interviews with Filipino employees, different scams were discovered that were being conducted on each floor. On the fifth and seventh floor, there is a stock investment scam, while on the seventh floor there is spamming using Hong Kong mobile. On the sixth floor is an online betting scam whose target is Indian nationals, and the employees are Filipinos.
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Authorities have recovered hundreds of computers, laptops, smartphones, pre-registered SIM cards, and other gadgets that will be subjected to digital forensics. It was also learned that this POGO was previously raided and shut down, but operated again under a new name and with permits from the Mayor, business license, and barangay permit. According to PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, LGUs must thoroughly inspect the establishments before issuing permits to avoid this kind of incident.
The arrested foreigners will be detained at the PAOCC Detention Facility in Pasay and will undergo profiling and biometric procedures with the BI while their immigration status is verified. The Filipinos will be subjected to questioning and investigation.
