In a major crackdown against cybercrime syndicates, Filipino authorities rescued nearly 900 workers from a bogus online gaming company that was actually running a large-scale romance scam operation. The raid took place last week in Tarlac province, around 60 miles north of Manila.
Romance Scam Op Disguised as an Online Gaming Company
Video footage from the operation shows the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) storming the 10-hectare compound and discovering rows of workers manning computer terminals. The facility, which claimed to be Zun Yuan Technology Inc., an online gaming firm, was housing 875 individuals, majority of them foreigners from Vietnam, China, Rwanda, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan.
Victims Lured with False Job Promises
Authorities said the victims were lured with promises of job opportunities but were instead forced into romance scamming. Their passports were confiscated, and they had to assume fake identities to extract money from unsuspecting victims through investment and cryptocurrency scams.
Those unable to meet extortion quotas faced harsh punishment including physical abuse, sleep deprivation, and confinement. The tip that exposed the syndicate came from a Vietnamese worker who was able to escape in January after being hired under false pretext as a chef. He also showed signs of torture by electrocution.
Raid Uncovers Guns, Vehicles with Mismatched Plates
Guns, ammunition, mobile phones, SIM cards, and romance scam scripts were seized. Curiously, 34 vehicles inside the compound had mismatched serial numbers and license plates. At the time of writing, there are 9 individuals – 1 Filipino, 5 Chinese, 2 Vietnamese, and 1 Malaysian national who have been charged for violating anti-trafficking laws.
Fake Company Website Used for Recruiting
The fake company website portrayed Zun Yuan as an “upcoming prominent player” in online gaming with facilities like a cafeteria, generators, convenience store and a billiards room to attract potential employees.
Part of Growing Cybercrime Trend in Southeast Asia
This incident exposes how cybercrime groups are exploiting foreign workers across Southeast Asia to run large-scale online scam operations. Similar cases of forced labor and human trafficking for cybercrime activities have been uncovered in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar recently.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, digitized solutions have enabled the rise of these criminal enterprises, leading to calls for stricter regulations on offshore online gambling firms that are havens for such illicit activities. However, efforts to crack down have only displaced these syndicates to countries with weaker enforcement.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
