Two foreign nationals, a Taiwanese and a Malaysian, were arrested, while three Filipinos allegedly held against their will were rescued from a condominium in Malate, Manila.
According to CIDG-NCR Director Police Colonel John Guiagui, the victims were allegedly forced to undergo training for scam operations similar to those in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) scam hubs.
The victims were initially recruited as "virtual assistants."
However, their relatives raised concerns after they could no longer contact them.
Authorities later discovered that the victims' mobile phones had allegedly been confiscated and that they were being forced to memorize scripts used in love scam operations.
Guiagui said the group would train recruits to become scammers before transferring them to scam hub centers in the Visayas.
[Reports from RH Edniel Parrosa]
