The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Saturday that the eight Filipinos, who were deceived into working for an online scamming and catfishing syndicate in Cambodia, had already been repatriated to Manila.
According to the DFA, the eight were turned over to the General Department of Immigration after being rescued by the Cambodian National Police in Oddar Meanchey and Kampot provinces and underwent investigation by the Anti-Cyber Crime Unit.
Moreover, the DFA provided welfare assistance and arranged for the expedited investigation and eventual release of the Filipinos through massive coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh.
In a statement, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega pointed out the cruciality of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, and the department is now putting efforts into ensuring the safety of Filipinos wherever they go.
Meanwhile, the DFA said that tourists are not able to work in Cambodia without a valid work permit, and customer service agent jobs in Southeast Asia are typically bogus, which made the department warn the public against online job offers that are too good to be true.
