International police bust Philippine-based crypto scam call centers, rescue over 1,000 victims

In recent months, international concern has grown over internet scams that are often run by trafficking victims who have been tricked or coerced into promoting bogus crypto investments. Philippine police have taken action against these scams by conducting a raid on a cluster of buildings in Mabalacat city, located about 90 kilometres north of Manila. The police successfully rescued 1,090 people who had been recruited to run online scams and had their passports confiscated. The victims were forced to target unsuspecting people in the US, Europe, and Canada, and were made to work up to 18 hours a day with little to no breaks. The victims were mainly Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Indonesian nationals, and authorities also rescued people from Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and Nepal. They were trained to entice strangers into buying cryptocurrency or depositing money into fraudulent bank accounts by establishing fake romantic relationships. The masterminds behind the schemes have been arrested and will be charged with human trafficking. This police operation was the result of a plea by the Indonesian ambassador in Manila to help locate their distressed nationals. Just last month, Senator Risa Hontiveros warned about the existence of “scam call centers” employing foreigners trafficked into the country.