The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that at least eight Filipinos who were earlier deceived into working for an online scamming and catfishing (creating fake identity) syndicate in Cambodia have finally returned home to Manila.
According to the DFA, they arrived Saturday evening.
They were rescued by the Cambodian National Police in Oddar Meanchey and Kampot provinces after an investigation by the Anti-Cyber Crime Unit. They were turned over to the General Department of Immigration.
Likewise, with coordination from the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh, the DFA also gave welfare assistance to the Filipinos and made arrangements for the expedited investigation and eventual release of the Filipinos.
“Human trafficking in Southeast Asia is a serious regional issue, and the DFA is exerting efforts to ensure the safety of Filipinos wherever they are,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega said.
“We will continue to engage with the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states and international partners to clamp down on this abhorrent activity,” he added in the statement.
Meanwhile the DFA renewed their reminder that tourists cannot work in Cambodia without a valid work permit.
They also said that customer service agent jobs in Southeast Asia are “usually bogus”.
The DFA also warned the public against online job offers that are too good to be true.
CURRENTPH NEWS SERVICE
