Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 19) — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday reiterated its reminder to Filipinos who want to work abroad to be wary of falling into the trap of human trafficking syndicates.
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This after Sen. Risa Hontiveros bared on Wednesday that Filipinos are being lured to Cambodia to work as crypto scammers, the same scheme done in Myanmar that she also revealed earlier.
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“An advice we could give Filipinos is if they want to work in those places is to go to the proper channels through the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration), through the DMW (Department of Migrant Workers),” DFA Usec. Eduardo de Vega told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
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“As long as they are telling you, you have this job and it’s a legitimate job, data encoder, customer service agent, computer expert and they tell you don’t pass the POEA and you’re not going with a work visa, that is a trap. Please don’t fall to the trap,” he said.
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According to Hontiveros, she discovered the human trafficking case from “Miles” who was a victim of the scheme.
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The victim said they were initially offered call center jobs, only to end up working as crypto scammers. The workers were even forced to work more than 16 hours a day, he added.
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Those who are unable to meet the quota are punished, he said.
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Asked about the possible involvement of officers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), De Vega said they currently “have no reason to believe that they are part of this scheme.”
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He said the victims usually leave as tourists, but do not go directly to Cambodia. They first fly to Malaysia or Thailand, and from there they are transported to Cambodia.
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De Vega admitted it is hard for BI personnel to just stop anyone from traveling to those countries given the constitutional right to travel. Still, he said the issue will be brought to the attention of the bureau.
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The DFA official said Philippine authorities are already working on the repatriation of eight Filipino workers in Cambodia, who are currently under police custody.
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