MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday warned that illegal gambling syndicates linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) are now targeting Filipinos for recruitment into scam hubs overseas.
The warning comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. imposed a nationwide ban on POGOs last year, citing their ties to criminal activities.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval revealed that intelligence reports indicate former POGO operators are now funding call center agents to serve as “brand ambassadors” to recruit their peers into illegal gambling hubs abroad.
Although the term “POGO” originated in the Philippines, Filipinos had already been recruited to—and rescued from—scam centers overseas even before the ban took effect in January 2025.
Initially catering to gamblers circumventing China’s gambling restrictions, POGOs have since become synonymous with large-scale scam operations.
“Since banning POGOs in the Philippines, we are now seeing similar operations in other Asian countries. The difference is, now our fellow Filipinos are being recruited abroad,” Sandoval said during a press briefing at Malacañang.
“This is rampant on social media, and we are quite worried because it’s not just happening in the Philippines—it’s a trend across the region,” she added.
She further noted that these scam hubs are expanding beyond Asia, with some reportedly opening in the Middle East.
BPO WORKERS TARGETED
POGOs are primarily recruiting young call center agents and other workers from the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, luring them with offers of P50,000 monthly salaries for supposed customer service jobs overseas.
“There are recruiters operating inside BPO companies. These scam hubs abroad have connections within these firms to facilitate recruitment,” Sandoval said.
However, she warned that once workers arrive, they realize they have been trafficked into scam operations.
“The job is not real. When they get there, it’s a scam hub. Technically, they become part of the syndicate because they are forced to scam people,” she added.
Recruiters reportedly arrange for workers to travel to Thailand as tourists before transporting them across borders to Cambodia, Myanmar, or Laos via land or sea routes.
“They take their passports, smuggle them across the border, and bring them to compounds hidden deep in the jungle,” Sandoval explained.
She urged Filipinos not to fall for these offers, warning that those who do are either tortured to meet quotas or forced to pay a release fee of around P400,000.
“This is a form of human trafficking and debt bondage. Victims already owe money before they even return to the Philippines,” she said.
SMALLER ILLEGAL GAMBLING OPERATIONS REMAIN IN THE PHILIPPINES
Despite the ban, some illegal gambling syndicates continue to operate in the Philippines, though on a smaller scale.
“Most of the illegal POGO operations are now in small groups, hiding in gated communities, condominiums, and residences that are harder for authorities to access,” Sandoval noted.
The Philippines is coordinating with other Southeast Asian nations through intelligence-sharing efforts to combat illegal recruitment and human trafficking, she added.
President Marcos banned all POGOs in July 2024 following congressional investigations and multiple raids that linked the industry to crimes such as torture, prostitution, and human trafficking.
Since the ban took effect on January 1, 2025, BI data shows that of the 33,000 registered POGO workers, only 11,000 remain in the country.
Among them, 121 have been deported, 518 arrested, and 45 voluntarily surrendered.