Number of Filipinos in scam hubs seeking help may still rise—DMW

The number of Filipinos trapped in scam hub operations across Southeast Asia remains “fluid,” Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac said Monday.

In a press briefing, Cacdac said the DMW and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) are still assessing the possibility that the number of victims could increase beyond the 222 active requests for assistance reported by the DFA on Sunday.

“We cannot be so naive as to say that the story ends here,” Cacdac said. “Both the DMW and DFA are still in the process of finding out if there are more Filipinos working in the scam hubs, at least in Cambodia.”

Cacdac estimated that around 200 to 300 Filipinos may currently be in KK Park in Myawaddy, a known global scam hub in the Mae Sot district.

Of the 222 active cases, nine victims are already under the custody of the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, 66 have crossed into Mae Sot, and 154 others arrived in Mae Sot from Myanmar on Sunday night.

“We have a Migrant Workers Office in Bangkok, so we are in full force coordinating with the Embassy in Bangkok,” he said.

There is no timeline yet for the victims’ return to the Philippines, but repatriation is being processed since many of the workers no longer have their passports.

Filipinos are often lured into these scam hubs through online job advertisements or messaging apps, where illegal recruiters offer customer service positions with promises of high salaries.

Cacdac emphasized that the lasting solution to human trafficking lies in targeting the root cause — the illegal recruiters and human traffickers themselves.

Since the start of repatriation efforts, a total of 1,454 Filipinos have been rescued from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

Recent reports also indicate explosions at KK Park amid Myanmar military operations targeting scam syndicates.