DMW warns vs money laundering scammers

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is monitoring three cases of a scam where overseas Filipino workers are being lured into providing their banking information, which is then used for money laundering.

According to Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac, Filipinos, primarily in Hong Kong, are being offered payment in exchange for their bank account details which is part of the scheme.

“The OFW who lent the details will be paid, and then later they find out they have been implicated in money laundering,” Cacdac said.

He added that some individuals have been detained in connection with this scam but have since been released.

The DMW chief also disclosed that authorities in Hong Kong are collaborating with the agency on this issue.

“They are just as concerned as we are about what is happening because it really preys on the innocence of our OFWs,” said Cacdac. “So they really are just victims. Unfortunately, some have been detained.”

Cacdac cautioned against another scam involving online recruiters who offer free tickets to ASEAN countries for work.

Initially, the promised work locations are Malaysia or Thailand. However, upon arrival at the airport, the workers are told the tickets are for countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, where they are forced to work in scam hubs.

Authorities have already filed 10 cases related to such scams, Cacdac said. He advised the public to be wary of recruiters offering flights to Thailand or Malaysia for office work without a work visa, as these are often linked to scam hub operations.

In collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the DMW has assisted approximately 1,096 returning OFWs who were victims of scam hub employers in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, according to Cacdac.

The DMW is also currently monitoring 10 cases of OFWs who have fallen victim to loan scams.