BI warns of scam targeting returning OFWs

The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday once again warned all departing overseas Filipino workers not to be lured by scammers who would promise them high-paying jobs abroad as call center agents.

The bureau issued the alert after learning about the difficulties faced by an OFW who had recently been repatriated from Laos, where she had been employed by a cybercrime group engaged in a "love scam" fraud without being paid.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said to beware of strangers who will approach you with offers of high-paying jobs overseas. He stressed that they will only make your life miserable at the expense of your family, who depend on you for financial support.

The said OFW was supposed to return to Manila from Bahrain two months ago after working there as a legitimate domestic household worker for one year and eight months.

However, during the layover of her return flight to Manila at the airport in Dubai, she was reportedly approached by a male stranger who offered her a job as a call center agent in Thailand with a monthly salary of P50,000.

The victim agreed to the stranger's offer after being lured by the promise of a high-paying job and joined them on a flight to Bangkok rather than returning to the Philippines.

Upon her arrival in Thailand, the victim described how she was transferred from Bangkok to Thailand's Chiang Rai area, where they took a boat to nearby Laos.

Then, she worked for a "love scam" syndicate for two months but was not paid a single centavo for her services. This prompted her to run away from her employers and seek assistance from the Philippine Embassy in Vientiane.

The BI has already issued several advisories reminding all Filipinos, especially the OFWs, not to fall for syndicates that lure prospective foreign workers to work in pseudo-call centers only to turn out to be scammers.