Most online scammers now are Filipinos who ‘learned’ from Pogos

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MANILA, Philippines — Most online scammers recently arrested by authorities are Filipinos who “learned” from working at Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), according to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG).

We can no longer say it’s still linked to Pogos. Our fellow citizens have learned. They’re doing it by themselves,” said PNP-ACG Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang explained at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.

Put another way, they may have worked there previously. But when it closed, they learned and they went on their own. Based on our statistics, most of the people we arrest are Filipinos. Only seven of those we arrested are foreign nationals,” he added.

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Yang did not provide a more specific breakdown of the number of Filipinos arrested for online scams.

Yang further said the PNP-ACG arrested 608 online scammers for various cyber crimes, of which 116 were convicted, from December 2024 to June 20, 2025.

He detailed that the crimes involved selling pre-registered subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards, a violation of Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act; RA 12010 or the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act; and RA 8484 or the Access Devices Regulation Act.

Last April, the PNP-ACG said former Pogo workers managed to retrieve devices from the scam hubs to either use for their own schemes or to sell it.

Citing “disorder” stemming from scam hubs, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced the ban on Pogos in his State of the Nation Address last July 2024.