MANILA: Philippine police raided a Chinese-run scam centre in the capital Manila on Thursday, arresting dozens of Filipino and foreign workers who allegedly tricked people into investing in a "manipulated" trading platform.
Police said the centre was operating in the guise of a licenced online gaming company, which President Ferdinand Marcos banned last month over the industry's links to scams, kidnapping, human trafficking and murder.
Among the 67 foreigners arrested during the pre-dawn raid on an office tower in the metropolis were 58 Chinese nationals, plus people from Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam. There were also 32 Filipinos.
The owner and manager of the facility -- both Chinese nationals -- were among those arrested, police said in a statement.
Police said the centre was running a "crypto-currency investment scam" and "love scam", with employees posing as wealthy models who would "entice" victims to invest in a "manipulated" trading platform.
The Filipinos arrested told police they were forced to work as scammers, the statement said, without specifying what would happen to them if they refused.
Some employees worked as models who were made to "dress in a seductive manner" and engage in "lascivious conduct" to help lure prospective victims, the statement added.
Marcos issued the ban on online gambling operators following public outcry over allegations that a local mayor was involved in a huge scam centre north of Manila.
Alice Leal Guo, the mayor of Bamban municipality, has been on the run after she was accused of being a Chinese citizen who fraudulently obtained Filipino citizenship that enabled her to run for office.
She left the country last month, immigration officials said this week, prompting a Marcos promise to go after those who "aided in her flight", vowing "heads will roll".
Authorities believe there could be several hundred illegal online gambling entities -- as well as many of the more than 40 licenced operators -- that are running scam centres under the noses of public officials. -- AFP