Philippines arrests 244 suspects in online scam crackdown

Criminal gangs accused of using Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) as cover for human trafficking, fraud, murder.Published On 4 Oct 20264 Oct 2026Philippine authorities have arrested more than 200 foreign workers, mostly Chinese, in their biggest crackdown this year on illegal offshore gaming operators.The country’s Immigration Bureau reported late on Saturday that military and other law enforcement agencies had raided two addresses on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Friday. Criminal gangs are accused of using Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) as cover for various crimes.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Duterte in person at ICC for first time over ‘war on drugs’ killingslist 2 of 4Philippines school shooting leaves at least three dead, including gunmanlist 3 of 4Chinese ship rams Philippines gov’t vessel in South China Sea: Coastguardlist 4 of 4Thousands of drivers strike in the Philippines over rising fuel pricesend of listThe raid on one site resulted in the arrest of 110 Chinese citizens, two Cambodians and a Hong Kong resident, according to the bureau’s statement.A further 131 foreign citizens were arrested at the second site. Aga...