A compound in the Philippines found with more than 1,000 mobile phones is the suspected hub of a multinational scam network with possible Australian victims, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Australian authorities are working with the Philippines to identify Australian targets of the alleged romance scam after the hub in central Manila was raided in early October.
Philippines law enforcement arrested more than 190 foreigners and 68 Filipino citizens for alleged immigration offences at the time of the raid, with thousands of phones and SIM cards alongside 300 computers seized.
AFP officers searched the compound following the initial raid for evidence linked to Australian victims, with the help of local authorities.
A spokesperson from the AFP said men over 35 were allegedly targeted using social media and dating platforms, with the goal to entice them into investing money into a cryptocurrency trading scheme.
AFP Assistant Commissioner David McLean said the operation was a significant move in curbing cybercrime.
Over 1,000 mobile phones were seized by local law enforcement in the alleged scam hub in central Manila. (Supplied: Australian Federal Police)
"A large portion of cybercrime affecting Australians originates offshore, and this action shows how the AFP and its international partners are proactively taking the fight to these syndicates where they operate," Assistant Commissioner McLean said while thanking the Philippine authorities for working together with the AFP.
"We have gathered valuable intelligence on the structure of these types of scam call centres, how they are targeting Australians and the ways to help identify victims."
The AFP alleged the scammers worked shifts that aligned with Australian time zones as part of the scheme.
The AFP's cybercrime centre in collaboration with the National Anti-Scam Centre would contact potential victims if they were identified during the AFP's analysis of the evidence found at the centre, a spokesperson said.