THE Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) raised concern over reports of Filipinos running their own independent scam farms, calling it a “ticking time bomb.”
These Filipinos are former workers of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs run by Chinese, which were outlawed by the Philippine government, Paocc spokesman Winston Casio said in a radio interview on Thursday.
Casio said this trend has been observed in Paocc’s recent operations on smaller independent scam hubs.
He said the huge number of Filipinos being apprehended in the Paocc’s crackdown on scam farms is resulting in a “legal quandary.”
“Just imagine, if you have 400 Filipinos arrested in a scam farm, how do you develop a case against these 400,” Casio said.
He added that these scam farms run by Filipinos are primarily engaged in “online shopping scams.”
“For example, you place an order, say a device, but you get a substandard product or a second-hand one. Worse, you don’t get anything. Our authorities have already dismantled some scammers perpetrating these activities. Some even hold an online raffle. Most of these Filipinos are veterans or alumni of the POGOs that we have raided,” Casio said.
“Due to lack of material time to be able to develop a credible case against most of these Filipinos, we let them go with a stern warning not to involve themselves again (in POGO operations) and that if we get them again, we’ll do our best to charge them.”
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