Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 7) — The Immigration bureau has released an advisory for airports to keep a watchful eye on outgoing Filipinos to make sure they do not fall victim to online job scams abroad.
“We strengthen our border control at the same time we have to educate as well our mga kababayans tulad ng pag-i-inform sa kanila na for them to work [abroad], dapat ay dumaan sila sa tamang proseso sa POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration),” BI deputy spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said Sunday.
[Translation: We strengthen our border control at the same time we have to educate as well our fellow countrymen, like informing them that in order for them to work abroad, they need to go through the right process through the POEA.]
Under the advisory, airport officials are tasked to check outgoing Filipinos if they have a round-trip ticket and a passport valid for six months.
Mabulac also said work applicants should also be reminded not to accept work offered in social media as it is unmonitored by the POEA.
Jhomar Malabanan has been an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) living in South Korea for six years.
He told CNN Philippines that throughout his stay in South Korea, he has been offered numerous investment schemes where he is asked to shell out a large amount of money with a promise of even bigger returns.
Malabanan added that the deals are too good to be true. But still, he said many OFWs give in to these types of exploitation.
“Medyo naiintindihan po natin dahil sa hirap ng buhay dito sa abroad, gusto nila kumita agad ng malaki without knowing na ang pinapasok nila ay scam,” Malabanan.
[Translate: I understand that because of the difficulty of life here abroad, they want to earn a lot immediately without knowing that they are joining a scam.]
In Pampanga on Friday, authorities rescued more than 1,000 people from several Asian countries who were allegedly trafficked into the country, held captive, and forced to work in online scams, an official said Saturday.
