MANILA, Aug. 23 — Philippine police on Thursday raided a Chinese-run scam center in the capital Manila, arresting dozens of Filipino and foreign workers who allegedly duped people into investing in a “rigged” trading platform.

Police said the center operated under the guise of a licensed online gaming company, which President Ferdinand Marcos banned last month over the industry’s ties to fraud, kidnapping, human trafficking and murder.

Among the 67 foreigners arrested in the pre-dawn raid on an office tower in the metropolis were 58 Chinese, plus people from Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam. There were also 32 Filipinos.

The owner and manager of the facility, both of Chinese descent, were among those arrested, police said in a statement.

According to police, the center was involved in a “cryptocurrency investment fraud” and a “romance fraud,” with employees posing as wealthy models who “enticed” victims to invest in a “rigged” trading platform.

The arrested Filipinos told police they were being forced to work as con artists, the statement said, but did not specify what would happen to them if they refused.

Some employees worked as models who were required to dress “in a seductive manner” and engage in “lascivious behavior” to lure potential victims, the statement said.

Marcos announced the ban on online gambling companies after public outrage over allegations that a local mayor was involved in a major scam north of Manila.

Alice Leal Guo, mayor of Bamban Municipality, is on the run after being accused of being a Chinese national who fraudulently obtained Filipino citizenship, allowing her to run for public office.

She left the country last month, immigration officials said this week, prompting Marcos to vow to crack down on those who “aided her escape” and vow that “heads will roll.”

Authorities believe there are hundreds of illegal online gambling companies – as well as many of the more than 40 licensed operators – running scams under the noses of government officials. — AFP