Philippines arrests 244 foreign workers in online scam crackdown

Philippines authorities have arrested more than 200 foreign workers in the country's largest crackdown on illegal online gaming operators in 2026, the immigration bureau said.



Manila banned Philippine online gaming operators, known locally as POGOs, in 2024 on the grounds that organised 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 Oct 2, arresting 110 Chinese nationals, two Cambodians and a Hong Kong resident at one site, an immigration bureau statement released late on Oct 3 said.



Another 131 foreigners were arrested at the second site who 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 offences by a number of those arrested, while the rest will be deported.