By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday reported the arrival of 24 Filipinos who were repatriated after being rescued from scam hubs in Cambodia.
According to the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the repatriates arrived on Aug. 23 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on board a Philippine Airlines flight from Phnom Penh.
The victims, composed of nine males and 14 females, were rescued with the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia after being forced to work in online scam hubs. They were assisted by the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) upon arrival.
The Filipinos recounted in a statement how they were recruited through social media with promises of employment as customer service representatives and a monthly salary of USD1,500. However, they said they only received around USD300 and were forced to work as love scammers in catphishing syndicates targeting male Europeans.
They added they were subjected to punishments such as squatting exercises and were verbally and physically abused when they failed to meet their quotas.
All of the victims departed the country as tourists. One even left with his entire family —parents, sibling, aunt, and uncle— for a supposed five-day holiday in Bangkok, only to proceed to Cambodia to work in the scam hub.
Several victims also revealed that they were later sold to other companies, further likening their ordeal to modern-day slavery.
Meanwhile, the I-PROBES also reported the interception of two more victims on Aug. 24 who attempted to board an Air Asia flight to Thailand.
The two initially claimed to be tourists on vacation but later admitted they had been promised jobs as encoders abroad.
The BI believes they were recruited by the same syndicate. They have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance.
In similar cases, victims were promised jobs in Thailand but were later forcibly diverted to Cambodia, Myanmar, or Laos.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado warned aspiring overseas workers against illegal recruitment schemes, saying that traffickers continue to exploit social media and messaging apps to lure victims.
The BI said at least two recruiters are being investigated by the IACAT for facilitating the departure of the victims.
He said they are also investigating whether certain personnel are in connivance with said recruiters. (PNA)
