Twenty-four Filipinos have been rescued and repatriated after being forced to work in online scam hubs in Cambodia, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
The victims arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on August 23, from Phnom Penh, with assistance from the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia.
They were also provided aid by the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking and the Department of Migrant Workers upon arrival.
According to the BI, the victims were recruited through social media with promises of employment as customer service representatives earning $1,500 a month. Instead, they were coerced into working as “love scammers” in catfishing syndicates targeting European men, receiving only around $300 monthly.
Those who failed to meet quotas were subjected to punishments such as squatting exercises and other forms of verbal and physical abuse, the bureau said. Some victims were even sold to other companies.
The BI added that all victims left the country as tourists.
Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported that 10 other Filipinos were also repatriated from Cambodia after being forced into similar online scam operations.
Meanwhile, the BI said it intercepted two more Filipinos at NAIA on Sunday as they attempted to fly to Thailand. Initially claiming to be tourists, they later admitted they had been promised jobs as encoders abroad. They were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance.
Authorities are investigating at least two recruiters in connection with the intercepted victims and are looking into possible involvement of personnel.
“These syndicates prey on Filipinos’ hopes for a better life abroad, but what awaits them is abuse, slavery, and despair. We urge everyone: do not gamble your safety on promises of easy money or quick deployment,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.
