The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has cautioned Filipinos against seemingly innocuous overseas job offers online from scam syndicates that exploit, abuse, and traffic underperforming workers to other syndicates, as done in several cases in Cambodia discovered recently.
The victims, reeled in through Facebook ads for lucrative encoder and customer service openings abroad, were coerced into scam-facilitating roles as bogus FBI agents or romantic partners to defraud foreigners.
They would be punished and sold or “transferred” to other syndicates if they are unable to meet their quotas.
A rescued victim recounted workdays which lasted from 16 to as long as 20 hours, threats of detention, and corporal punishment. A second said they had just been turned over to another group when they managed to escape.
“They were treated like property—bought, sold, and abused,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado. “Their stories are clear proof that these syndicates operate with no regard for human dignity. This must stop.”
Pursuant to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive, the government is actively working to tear down human trafficking operations and safeguard its vulnerable citizens, Viado stressed.
“We urge jobseekers to avoid illegal offers online. Always go through the Department of Migrant Workers,” he advised.
Four victims, in their 20s and 30s, were successfully repatriated and touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on April 19 in a Philippine Airlines plane from Phnom Penh.
The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) officials are presently overseeing investigations into the cases, and aim to identify those responsible for the victims’ illegal deployment.
