Koreans, Filipinos Arrested in PH POGO Scam Raid

A Pasay City POGO raid exposed a multi-million peso scam. 14 Filipinos and 6 Koreans were arrested after authorities uncovered an illegal operation targeting unsuspecting victims.

A raid on a suspected illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) in Pasay City has uncovered a sophisticated scam believed to have siphoned off millions of Philippine pesos from unsuspecting victims. Authorities apprehended 14 Filipino nationals and six Korean nationals in the operation, which took place on Tuesday in a hotel basement.

The raid, conducted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in conjunction with other government agencies, targeted an office allegedly run by the Korean nationals. Intelligence gathered by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) pointed to the location as a hub for both POGO activities and fraudulent schemes.  

"We've been hearing about Korean POGOs for a long time, but this is the first time we've actually caught Koreans running offshore gaming operations," stated PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio. He described the modus operandi of the alleged scam, where victims are initially enticed with small wins to invest larger sums. 

"They'll get you hooked, they'll let you win. Then you keep loading up to PHP 200,000 (approximately $3,450 USD). Once your bet money reaches PHP 200,000 (approximately $3,450 USD), they suddenly cut you off, so there's scamming, there's betting," Casio explained.

This incident highlights a concerning trend noted by BI Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) chief Rendel Ryan Sy. "In our data at the Fugitive Search Unit (FSU), our number one arrest in terms of fugitives is Korean. Chinese is only number two," Sy revealed, indicating a significant presence of Korean nationals involved in illicit activities in the Philippines.

The six Korean nationals will face charges related to immigration violations, while the 14 Filipinos are currently under investigation. Authorities confiscated computers and devices used to generate one-time passwords (OTPs), which were crucial for accessing the operation's systems and cryptocurrency wallets. PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz explained the function of these devices: "This is what produces the OTP. It's stored here. Now, their transactions are saved here, so they need it every time they open a computer." He further emphasized the importance of the OTPs, stating, "For every computer, there is a designated OTP. So the crypto wallet transactions are all here. The code that they need to get in."

The scale of the alleged illegal POGO operation is significant, with Cruz suggesting that billions of PHP were involved. He cited examples of transactions found on a single computer, including amounts of PHP 7 million (approximately $120,750 USD), PHP 2 million (approximately $34,500 USD), and PHP 320,000 (approximately $5,520 USD).  

Adding a layer of intrigue, one of the arrested Koreans claimed ignorance of the office's true purpose, while a Filipino detainee stated she was unaware that POGOs were prohibited. The investigation is ongoing as authorities attempt to unravel the full extent of the operation and bring all those involved to justice.

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