July 20, 2026
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has warned Filipinos against accepting job offers linked to online scam hubs in Cambodia, stressing the country’s strict law against technology-based fraud that includes scam hubs.
In a media briefing on Monday, the DMW said workers recruited into the operations could face arrest.
DMW Undersecretary Felicitas Bay said there are around 13,000 Filipinos in Cambodia working in the education, healthcare, information technology, and sales sectors.
However, Bay said there are 32 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were victimized by scam hub recruiters who are now sheltered at the Migrant Workers Office (MWO), while 51 Filipinos remain detained in Cambodia as authorities determine whether they were victims of human trafficking or participants in the scam operations.
“Ilan yung nasa shelter natin ngayon na mga human trafficking victims? Thirty two. Sila yung nagkusang-loob na pumunta sa shelter. Ayon sa aming data, ilan yung nandun sa provincial prison doon? Sa Batambang ay 23. Sa Sihanoukville ay 28 (How many human trafficking victims are currently in our shelter? Thirty two. They were the ones who voluntarily went to the shelter. According to our data, how many are in the provincial prison there? In Batambang, there are 23. In Sihanoukville, it is 28). So total of 51,” she said.
Bay said Cambodia has begun enforcing its Law on Combating Technology-Based Fraud, which imposes criminal penalties on people involved in online scam operations.
The law authorizes the Commission for Combating Online Scam (CCOS) to investigate, dismantle and prosecute transnational cyber fraud and human trafficking networks.
Bay said those convicted of operating online scam activities involving organized groups, human trafficking, labor exploitation or forced criminality face prison terms of five to 20 years.
Recruiters and trainers can be imprisoned for five to 10 years, while those involved in gathering personal information for criminal purposes face one to three years’ imprisonment.
Bay said the Philippine government has hired a legal retainer to assist them as authorities determine whether they were trafficked into scam compounds or knowingly took part in the operations.
She said that while the Philippines treats trafficked workers as victims, Cambodia’s law may initially consider them offenders because of their involvement in scam operations.
“We see our OFWs or those who are human trafficking victims as victims, but since there is an offense or a criminal liability, sila ay nakokonsider sa bansang (they are considered in) Cambodia as perpetrators,” she added.
Bay urged Filipinos not to fall for recruitment offers on social media promising jobs as marketing assistants or customer service representatives, emphasizing that many eventually end up inside scam compounds.
“Kung kayo ay nasa scam hub, lumabas na dyan sa inyong operations at magtungo sa embahada o sa (If you are in a scam hub, get out of your operations and go to the embassy or the) migrant workers office,” she said.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac echoed the warning, urging Filipinos not to continue with plans to work in scam hubs in Cambodia or Myanmar, and to trust their instincts in case they sense something is wrong.
“We need to add na yung mga nagbabalak nating kababayan pumunta sa Cambodia or Myanmar scam farms, huwag na ho magpatuloy. Kasi deportation ang kararatnan, posibleng makulong pa ng ilang araw dahil iniimbestigahan, at hindi po ka-nais-nais ang karanasan. Kaya huwag na ho magpatuloy (those planning to go to Cambodia or Myanmar scam farms, please do not proceed. Because deportation will be the consequence, you might even be jailed for a few days due to the investigation, and it is not a desirable experience. So please don’t continue),” he said. (PNA)