SCAM hubs abroad operating in the guise of online gambling or call centers continue to recruit Filipinos via social media.
This warning was issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after receiving another report from the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) which intercepted five victims – four males and one female – at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The victims were reportedly lured into working for a scam hub in Cambodia.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that based on the report, the individuals initially presented themselves as tourists bound for Hong Kong aboard a Cebu Pacific flight at NAIA Terminal 3 last February 15.
They all claimed to be working in popular restaurants or establishments in the Philippines, and entered the immigration area in two separate groups, pretending they did not know each other but officers found suspicious documents and referred them for further inspection.
Sandoval said that upon secondary interview, the passengers admitted that, after arriving in Hong Kong, they were told that they will transfer to a flight to Cambodia, where they were to be employed by a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.
One of the victims admitted that he did not know that they were recruited for scam hubs, and had no idea what cryptocurrency is, adding that he was compelled to agree to the scheme to be able to support his sick family member. The victims admitted to have been offered P30,000 to P50,000 as monthly salary, with free board and lodging.
The BI cautioned the public against scam hubs in various Asian countries that recruit Filipinos for supposed call center jobs. These operations deceive job seekers with attractive salary offers, only for them to be coerced into running online fraud schemes, including cryptocurrency scams, under exploitative and abusive conditions.
It also noted that most victims were recruited through social media platforms, particularly Facebook, where they were enticed by job postings in groups labeled as “POGO work abroad.
