Authorities examined the cybercrime hub that was recently raided in Pasay City last August 2, 2023 and found a “studio” where people run the “love scam.”
According to John Consulta and Jonathan Andal’s story on “24 Oras,” requests for video calls are made in a studio with a bed, a side desk, and a lot of clothes.
On the other side of the studio, a table, computer, and fake books were used to make it look like an office.
The National Bureau of Investigation raided what is thought to be the hub on Tuesday. During the raid, about 650 people were taken in, among them 400 Filipinos.
The workers were also asked to do crypto scams and job scams in addition to love scams.
At first, you will get between PHP300 and PHP1000 for sharing posts. Once you’re interested, the scammer will ask you to make an investment, which you’ll need to do to get access to certain features. They will ask for more money again, saying things like they need it for handling fees.
Wednesday, the Senate held a meeting about human trafficking, and that Love Scam raid was one of the things they talked about.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said that it inspected the building on July 26 and found equipment that could be used for scams, but it failed to send a report to the police.
Senator Risa Hontiveros immediately questioned PAGCOR.
PAGCOR said in response, “I think it was a mistake on our part.”
The business was said to have a license to run POGO machines. One of the workers was saved from being sold as a slave in Myanmar.
The Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking said that the number of foreigners involved in these kinds of scams is going down, but the number of Filipinos hired by POGO is going up.
Senator Win Gatchalian said “We’re now human trafficking hub, human trafficking of the world. So POGO is not bringing benefit to our country, it’s bringing shame.”
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