DFA: 27 Filipinos return to PH from Cambodia

The Department of Foreign Affairs says on Saturday, January 13, 2024, that the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh has repatriated 27 Filipinos from Cambodia. It said the 27 Filipinos arrived in Cambodia on various dates as tourists. However, they were eventually employed in companies that engaged in scamming activities. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh has repatriated 27 Filipinos from Cambodia.

It said the 27 Filipinos arrived in Cambodia on various dates as tourists. However, they were eventually employed in companies that engaged in scamming activities.

The Filipinos were rescued through the collaboration of the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh with the Cambodian National Police while being transferred to another online scamming facility, according to the DFA.

READ: Chat support job offers in Cambodia posted on Facebook is 100% scam – victim

They were temporarily sheltered in Caritas Cambodia following their rescue. They returned to the Philippines on December 8, 2023.

The DFA said this is the largest group of repatriated victims of human trafficking in Cambodia.

READ: Hontiveros: Shun job offers for Cambodia, Myanmar

It then reminded Filipinos seeking work opportunities abroad to be wary of job recruitment posted on social media, and to only engage with government-authorized recruitment agencies.