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24 Filipinos who were 'forced to work as scammers' repatriated from Cambodia -- BI

Philippines | National

24 Filipinos who were 'forced to work as scammers' repatriated from Cambodia -- BI

By Jeffrey Damicog

Twenty-four Filipinos have been repatriated from Cambodia where they were trafficked and reportedly forced to work as scammers, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Sunday, Feb. 22.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said the 24 human trafficking victims arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Feb. 14.

Viado said the victims, whose names were not disclosed and most of whom were 20 years old, told the BI that they were lured to accept the job placements through online job advertisements that offered high salaries.

“This is not legitimate employment. This is organized fraud with international victims. We will not allow our country to be used as a recruitment ground for global scam operations,” Viado said.

The BI said that the victims were forced to work in online “love scam” operations in Cambodia and engaged foreign nationals—primarily from the United States and European countries—through online dating platforms.

Thereafter, the BI said “the victims were eventually redirected to cryptocurrency investment schemes and online casino links sent via messaging applications.”

It also said that 16 of the victims left the country as tourists, two exited through irregular migration channels, and six left as overseas Filipino workers.

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