Illustrative image (Photo: Internet) Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine authorities announced on September 30 that police have rescued 29 Myanmar and Chinese nationals who were allegedly trafficked and forced to work as "online scammers" for a gaming company in the capital Manila.
It came amid a crackdown on so-called Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGOs, following reports of kidnapping, prostitution and murder.
Maj. Gen Eliseo Cruz said there would be follow-up operations based on information from the victims, adding that they had worked for companies that pretended to have "legitimate operations of POGO" but were engaged in "illegal activities, particularly in trafficking of persons".
Two of the Myanmar victims told police that they had arrived in the Philippines in March after being recruited in Dubai to work as customer service representatives.
Their passports were seized and they were forced to work 14 hours a day, chatting online with potential clients and encouraging them to "play and invest money" as part of a scam.
Victims said they were then sold for 3.5 million pesos to another company and told they had to repay the money./.
