24/07/2025
A PUBLIC REMINDER ON THE DANGERS OF ONLINE SCAM JOBS OVERSEAS
Following the crackdown launched by the Royal Government of Cambodia on online scam operations this month, the Philippine Embassy reiterates its advice for Filipino job seekers to be extremely wary of social media posts advertising vacancies for Customer Service or Chat Support Representatives (CSR) overseas. Typically, these recruitment ads offer the following enticements:
• Monthly salary of USD1,000 to 1,500
• Bonuses and commissions
• 12-hour work shift with one day off every week
• Free food and lodging
• Business visa facilitation
• Free training
• Good work environment
Many recruiters use these supposed CSR, AI model or data entry specialist positions as code names for cyber scam work. To escape immigration scrutiny, most new recruits are taken to backdoor exits or booked on flights transiting in nearby international hubs. Filipinos who took these jobs have complained of unsafe work conditions, non-payment of salaries, 20-hour work days, and torture for not meeting their quota for victimizing elderly Filipinos in the North America. Some are “sold” from one scam company to another.
While ever ready to assist distressed Filipinos, the Embassy emphasizes that the rescue of foreigners from scam compounds and their eventual deportation rely on a process that is exclusively controlled by the host government. Filipinos in illegal online operations are advised to immediately send to the contact points below a photo of their passport bio-page, contact details and a pin of their location. From there, the Embassy’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) process commences. In Cambodia, workers from scam operations are held by the police for victim identification procedures after which they are turned over to immigration removal centers. The entire process on the Cambodian side could take up to three months due to heavy caseloads.
Bound by international conventions to respect the host country’s domestic laws and internal procedures, the Embassy officially corresponds with police authorities within 24-48 hours of receipt of a distressed Filipino’s request. Typically, it takes a week or more for the police to take custody of the rescued worker, usually in a crowded, spartan facility. At this point, the Embassy extends welfare assistance (meals and basic necessities) and medical attention, if needed, as fast as local conditions will allow. In remote provinces, communication, supply, and delivery challenges could cause delays in these provisions.
The Embassy continues to cooperate closely with local authorities in these cases and maintains a 24/7 hotline manned by an Assistance-to-Nationals Officer. Handling over 125 ATN cases in the past seven months alone, the ATN Officer, on a daily basis, prioritizes the provision of assistance to and communications with directly-affected parties in addition to ensuring prompt coordination with government authorities for case assistance. Visitations to remote holding facilities are conducted when manpower and other resources allow.
To help prevent further victimization of Filipinos as workers or scam targets, the Embassy urges Filipino overseas job seekers to exercise utmost caution in entertaining online job offers and, most importantly, to comply with the requirements of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) that are in place to protect Filipinos from illegal recruitment and human trafficking.
Filipinos in distress and emergency situations are advised to directly communicate with the Embassy as follows:
Email: [email protected]
(Assistance to Nationals or ATN Section)
Hotline: +855 9888 8771(SMS, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber)
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Phnom Penh, 24 July 2025
