�鶹��

Available for over a year

The global online scamming industry is said to be worth some $500 billion a year. It operates in secret, in complexes hidden behind high fences in countries all over the world. It is a particular problem in the Philippines, where much of the industry is run by Chinese criminal organisations. The scammers, whose job it is to persuade their victims to part with their hard-earned money, are often themselves the victims of crime, people trafficked across borders by gangsters and held prisoner in these “scam hubs”, forced to work. It is a particular problem in the Philippines, where, in March 2024 the police raided a compound in a small town north of the capital, Manila. There they found several hundred people working. The spotlight immediately turned on the mayor of the town, Alice Guo, a colourful and energetic 32-year-old, who owned some of the land on which the compound was built. In “Who is Alice Guo?” the �鶹�� investigates the allegations against the former mayor who has now been charged with people trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion. There is a further, more lurid, and unproven allegation that she is a spy for China. We ask what effect this affair has had on an already tense relationship between the Philippines and China. Presented by Tony Han of the �鶹�� Global China unit and Jay Behrouzi-Sneade Produced by Tim Mansel Ankur Shah is the editor of the �鶹�� global China unit Studio mix by James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Gemma Ashman and Mica Nepomuceno Philippines producer: Yas Coles Assistant producer: Harry Atteshlis Editor: Penny Murphy Picture caption: A torn election poster featuring former mayor Alice Guo in Bamban, Philippines Photo credit: Tim Mansel