Authorities raided 21 floors of an office skyscraper on Ayala Avenue in the Makati Central Business District on the evening of Thursday, March 6, 2025, acting on reports of alleged Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) scam activities, but found no officials or employees of the enterprises1. The operation was conducted around 6 p.m.1.
The raid was led by the Makati Business Permits and Licensing Office (Makati BPLO) with operatives from the Makati Police, the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC)1. It followed information that several Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) were still doing business in the building despite the government's POGO ban1.
PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said the floors held 21 companies under different corporate names and different listed owners1. Intelligence reports indicated some 600 foreigners were believed to be running scam operations on different floors, but the raiding team found only abandoned workstations and office spaces1. Cruz said the workers got wind of the operation, and people downstairs reported employees running down at around 4 to 5 o'clock1. Rooms were found in disarray, electrical circuit breakers on some floors were turned off, and food and pots of herbal tea were still warm when the team arrived1.
"Ang intel namin dito talagang nag-o-operate ito bilang POGO operation, scamming center ito. That's 21 companies, may iba-ibang pangalan and with different names din ng may-ari."
The PNP-CIDG said it will request the necessary warrants for digital forensics of hundreds of computers, cellphones, One-Time PIN (OTP) generators, hard drives and other gadgets left behind1. Initial inspection by the DOJ Office of Cybercrime indicated signs of scam operations, including scripts for investment scams, and the presence of OTP generators, which the office said usually indicates scamming via online wallets and bank accounts1. DOJ-OOC Head Agent Inna Protacio-Ladislao said scripts written in English indicated that Filipinos, not only foreigners, are engaged in the illegal activities1.
During the raid, a Chinese national who claimed to have been part of the raided Lucky South99 POGO in Porac, Pampanga surrendered to authorities1. He will undergo verification, profiling and possible deportation by the Bureau of Immigration and the Chinese Embassy in Manila, and will also be investigated over his knowledge of POGO operations1. A building administration official denied that POGO and scamming activities exist in the building, saying its contracts are in place and all documents are in order1. The building is described as one of the first offices to house POGOs in the Philippines1.
What it means for players
The raid points to scam operations running inside a mainstream Makati office tower, not a remote compound, and to workers who left behind equipment and scripts when authorities arrived1. For anyone in the Philippines, the reported use of OTP generators indicates that scam operations target online wallets and bank accounts, the same channels ordinary gamblers and their families use1. The DOJ-OOC finding that scripts were written in English, which it read as a sign that Filipino employees were involved, indicates that recruitment into these operations is not limited to foreigners1. The government's POGO ban remains in force, and the presence of IGLs still doing business in the building was the stated basis for the inspection1. Details of how players were recruited or how much money was involved have not been reported. General guidance on identifying fraudulent operators is set out in gambling scams in the Philippines and gambling scams and safety in Asia; background on licensed gambling is in can I gamble in the Philippines.
What happens next
The PNP-CIDG will request warrants for digital forensics of the seized devices1. The surrendered Chinese national faces verification, profiling and possible deportation, and investigation into his knowledge of POGO operations1. No date has been reported for the forensic examination or for any charges against the 21 companies or their listed owners.
