2,700 people tricked into working for cybercrime syndicates rescued in Philippines

In this handout photo provided by the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, police walks inside one of the offices they raided in Las Pinas, Philippines on Tuesday June 27, 2023. Philippine police backed by commandos staged a massive raid on Tuesday and said they rescued more than 2,700 workers from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and more than a dozen other countries who were allegedly swindled into working for fraudulent online gaming sites and other cybercrime groups. — Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group via AP

MANILA, Philippines: Philippine police backed by commandos staged a massive raid on June 27 and said they rescued more than 2,700 workers from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and more than a dozen other countries who were allegedly swindled into working for fraudulent online gaming sites and other cybercrime groups.

The number of human trafficking victims rescued from seven buildings in Las Pinas city in metropolitan Manila and the scale of the nighttime police raid were the largest so far this year and indicated how the Philippines has become a key base of operations for cybercrime syndicates.