Report Filipino Scammers Exploit Skills from Defunct Gaming Operators

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In a significant crackdown on cybercrime, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) has revealed that a majority of recently arrested online scammers are Filipinos who gained their skills while working at now-shuttered Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).

 

Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang, speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, highlighted that former employees of these gaming operators have adapted their learnt skills to perpetrate scams independently. "We can no longer say it's linked to Pogos. They’ve learned and are doing it by themselves," Yang stated.

 

When many Pogos ceased operations, these individuals used their acquired expertise to embark on their own illicit ventures. Out of those arrested for cyber-related crimes, only a small fraction were foreign nationals, with Filipinos making up the majority. However, Yang did not offer precise figures on Filipino arrests.

 

Between December 2024 and June 2025, the PNP-ACG has apprehended 608 individuals involved in various cybercrimes, resulting in 116 convictions. These crimes include the sale of pre-registered SIM cards, violating the SIM Registration Act, the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, and the Access Devices Regulation Act.

 

Last April, it was reported that former Pogo workers retrieved devices from scam hubs for personal use or resale, further contributing to the rise in scams.

 

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., citing persistent disorder from scam hubs, announced a ban on Pogos in his State of the Nation Address in July 2024. This decision aimed to curtail the rise of local scams and restore order, yet the skills acquired during the boom of Pogos continue to pose challenges to the authorities.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Inquirer 2025-06-25