# Philippine police rescue three in alleged Manila love scam raid > By Kim Harris | Edited by Bill Alena | Published: 2026-11-02T09:51:54.14619+00:00 | Section: Daily News | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/philippine-police-rescue-three-alleged-manila-love-scam-raid | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc) The CIDG says it rescued three people held in a Malate condo on 28 October 2026 and arrested a Taiwanese and a Malaysian over alleged love scam scripts. ## Key points - The Philippine CIDG says it rescued three people from a Malate, Manila condominium on 28 October 2026 and arrested a 32-year-old Taiwanese and a 38-year-old Malaysian. - Police allege the three were held from 23 October with phones confiscated and made to memorise love scam scripts, according to the Daily Tribune. - The suspects face complaints under the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 10364), serious illegal detention and grave coercion; nobody has been convicted. - The US FTC says romance scam reported losses rose 22% in 2025, to about $2,020 per person. ## Article - The CIDG says it rescued three people, two women and one man, from a Malate, Manila condominium on 28 October 2026. - A 32-year-old Taiwanese and a 38-year-old Malaysian were arrested, identified only as "Pen" and "Lee". - Police allege the three were held from 23 October, phones confiscated, and made to memorise love scam scripts from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - The FTC says romance scam reported losses rose 22% in 2025, to about $2,020 per person. The Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) says it rescued three people held in a Malate, Manila condominium on 28 October 2026 and arrested a 32-year-old Taiwanese and a 38-year-old Malaysian, the Daily Tribune reported on 2 November. The three were allegedly made to memorise love scam scripts. The dating link is indirect: no dating platform is named, and this is a forced-labour case. Operators should still read it. All claims are police allegations, nobody has been convicted, and DII has not seen an original CIDG statement. ### The DII Take This is a trafficking story before it is a fraud story. The people typing scripted messages that can reach dating app users may themselves be coerced, which changes how trust and safety teams should think about who sits behind a scripted profile. It also suggests that takedowns of individual accounts will not touch the operation that supplies them. ### What police allege happened in Malate According to the Daily Tribune, the suspects recruited Filipino workers as "virtual assistants" at $400 to $500 a month, plus a $100 perfect-attendance incentive. The victims came from Samar, Dumaguete and Pasay. The three were allegedly held in the condo unit from 23 October, with their phones confiscated. > The three were allegedly held in the condo unit from 23 October, with their phones confiscated. Police say they were rescued before being moved to Bohol, and recovered laptops, phones, ID cards and a bag of alleged scripts. The suspects face complaints under the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 10364), serious illegal detention and grave coercion, Peoples Taliba reported. Focus Taiwan (CNA) reported that the raid followed a complaint from a woman's partner. It also cited Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau liaison officer as saying the Taiwanese suspect has multiple prior fraud convictions. The Daily Tribune does not mention the complaint. ### A recurring pattern, and what to watch This is not isolated. Manila Bulletin reported that the CIDG arrested four Chinese nationals in Pasay in March 2026 over a similar scheme, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported an October 2025 raid on three Malate condo units that led to 39 arrests. DII has also covered a [separate Philippine romance fraud arrest](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/philippines-arrests-chinese-suspect-alleged-706000-romance-fraud). US data shows the victim side. The US Federal Trade Commission says nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam in 2025 said it began on social media. Taiwan's Taipei Economic and Cultural Office planned to visit the Taiwanese suspect on 3 November. - Scam compounds that allegedly coerce workers into scripted romance fraud make trafficking indicators relevant to platform risk teams, not only fraud teams. - Repeat raids on Malate condos in October 2025 and October 2026 suggest enforcement is disrupting individual sites rather than ending the model. - Watch whether prosecutors proceed on the trafficking complaint, and whether any platform is later named. **Sources:** [CIDG rescues three alleged love scam victims, arrests Taiwanese and Malaysian (Daily Tribune)](https://tribune.net.ph/2026/11/02/cidg-rescues-three-alleged-love-scam-victims-arrests-taiwanese-and-malaysian); [Taiwanese man arrested in Manila over alleged scam, illegal detention (Focus Taiwan)](https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202611020013); [Taiwanese, Malaysian held for detaining 3 Philippine workers (Philstar.com)](https://www.philstar.com/nation/2026/11/02/2567185/taiwanese-malaysian-held-detaining-3-philippine-workers); [2 dayuhan kinulong 2 Pinoy para magtrabaho sa 'Love Scam' (Peoples Taliba)](https://peoplestaliba.com/2-dayuhan-kinulong-2-pinoy-para-magtrabaho-sa-love-scam/); [CIDG arrests 4 foreigners for forcing Chinese, 6 Pinays to engage in online love scam (Manila Bulletin)](https://mb.com.ph/2026/03/28/cidg-arrests-4-foreigners-for-forcing-chinese-6-pinays-to-engage-in-online-love-scam); [Romance scam hub busted in Manila; 30 Filipinos, 9 foreigners nabbed (Philippine Daily Inquirer)](https://globalnation.inquirer.net/296130/romance-scam-hub-busted-in-manila-30-filipinos-9-foreigners-nabbed); [New trends in reports of imposter scams (US Federal Trade Commission)](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/05/new-trends-reports-imposter-scams); [New FTC Data Show People Have Lost Billions to Social Media Scams (US Federal Trade Commission)](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/new-ftc-data-show-people-have-lost-billions-social-media-scams) ## Key takeaways - Alleged coercion of workers into scripted romance fraud in Manila means trafficking indicators matter to dating platforms' trust and safety teams, even though no platform is named in this case. - Raids on Malate condo units in October 2025 and October 2026, plus a March 2026 Pasay arrest, suggest Philippine enforcement is hitting individual sites repeatedly. - Whether Philippine prosecutors pursue the RA 10364 trafficking complaint against the two suspects is the next development for compliance teams to track. ## FAQ ### What did Philippine police do in the Manila love scam raid? The CIDG says it rescued three people from a Malate condominium on 28 October 2026 and arrested a Taiwanese and a Malaysian national, according to the Daily Tribune. ### What are the suspects accused of? Police allege violations of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 10364), serious illegal detention and grave coercion. Nobody has been convicted. ### Was a dating app involved in the Manila love scam case? No dating platform is named in the reports. It is a forced-labour scam case, so the dating industry link is indirect. --- Canonical: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/philippine-police-rescue-three-alleged-manila-love-scam-raid Citation: "Dating Industry Insights" (https://www.datingindustryinsights.com)