Philippines police (Source: EPA/VNA)

Foreignerswere reportedly rounded up in eight hotels and establishments where they were caught red-handed performing their illegal activities, the Bureau of Immigration said in a pressrelease on late September 17.

The pressrelease quoted Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente as saying the detainees,most of whom appeared to be undocumented, will be deported.

He added thatthe bureau will continue to root out illegal aliens, particularly those engagedin unauthorised online gaming activities, cyber fraud and investment scams thatprey on unsuspecting victims who are mostly abroad.

It was thesecond anti-cybercrime operation in the Philippines in a week.

Last week, thePhilippines arrested more than 270 Chinese in a raid against a gangwanted for their role in a vast investment fraud that cost victims in China millions ofUS dollars.

Agents swooped on an office building in the capital Manila onSeptember 11 to take four suspects into custody in connection with the 100million CNY (14 million USD) scam, but stumbled upon many more.

The operations were conducted afterlocal authorities detected a spike in the arrival of Chinese tourists.The influx has had a mixed impact in the Philippines, with authorities suspectingmany of the arrivals are working illegally in the online gambling industry./.VNA