Cebu City remains POGO-free, according to Mayor Raymond Garcia, even as online scam cases continue to rise in the country. In a press conference on May 19, Garcia said there have been no reports of POGO operations in the city since he took office as mayor.
Recently, 17 Taiwanese were arrested by the NBI in a high-end subdivision in Cebu City. They were allegedly involved in a romance scam where fake online relationships are used to defraud foreigners, especially fellow Taiwanese, and extort large sums of money.
Although there are speculations, it is clear that this is not connected to POGO. According to the mayor, this is a type of money laundering, but it is not covered by POGO activities. In fact, six of those arrested were members of the Four Seas Gang from Taiwan—a well-known drug and scam syndicate.
The investigation began after agents tracked down a wanted person in Taiwan, which led to the uncovering of a larger scam operation. Taiwan Police Attaché Matt Shen commended the NBI's swift action. According to him, up to P1.7 billion is lost every week in Taiwan due to online scams.
Although this is not a POGO, Garcia said it is still a serious crime and needs to be addressed by the authorities. The city also continues to work together to keep Cebu City safe from this type of fraud.
