Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 16) — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has reminded the public, particularly those seeking overseas employment, to carefully scrutinize recruitment agencies and job offers to avoid scams and abusive employers.
The reminder came after eight more Filipinos were rescued after experiencing abuse while working as online scammers in Myanmar.
“We can say that it’s quite alarming already because so many Filipinos have been victimized by this scam that’s operating in some Asian countries,” said BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval.
“They do not get the remuneration that was promised to them,” she added. “It’s really actually one of the worst types of trafficking that we’ve seen in modern times.”
The rescued workers said they were threatened with violence and experienced hunger, along with physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. One of the victims was made to pay US$11,000 (around ₱597,850) for their freedom.
The BI advised the public not to be lured by the promised high salaries advertised in online jobs. The agency cited a job offer with a monthly pay of US$1,500 (around ₱81,525), with free lodging, food, and trips.
“So it’s really tempting for our kababayans, but siguro [countrymen, but maybe] discernment — sometimes things are too good to be true and they should check and verify and look at what’s happening and what are the trends,” said Sandoval. “There are so many people that have been repatriated already and there are still a lot more there requesting to be repatriated.”
She said jobseekers should make sure companies are legitimate or verified by the Department of Migrant Workers.
“Let us always remind our family members to go through the legal process so that we can be protected by the Philippine government when we work abroad,” she added.
She said the BI began noticing the pattern of cases like these in October last year, while the repatriation of trafficking victims began in early 2023.
The agency said it is currently processing other repatriation requests from hundreds of victims.
