MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs is now working on the repatriation of eight Filipinos trafficked in Cambodia over the cryptocurrency scheme bared over a Senate hearing in November.
The department said the trafficking scheme has been ongoing for months. Chinese mafia perpetrators recruit Filipinos for data encoding or call center jobs but they end up being forced to scam other individuals while based across Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
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“Our Embassy in Phnom Penh has officially requested the DFA for funding for financial assistance for the Filipinos and also for the tickets so we’re going to fund it,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said in a televised interview with CNN Philippines’ “The Source” on Thursday.
“Hopefully, that means that pretty soon they’ll be going home.”
RELATED: DFA working to bring home 'up to 100' trafficking victims from Southeast Asia
Sen. Risa Hontiveros bared the trafficking scheme in a Senate session late last year, after 12 Filipino OFWs who fell victim to the large-scale human trafficking operations were repatriated by the DFA.
Aside from being tricked into scamming other individuals, the OFWs were also subjected to abuse whenever they do not meet their quota.
READ: Hontiveros bares fake job ads, trafficking of Pinoys to Myanmar for crypto scam
"This is an industrial complex that involves various actors from around Southeast Asia and beyond. Maybe all these criminals who are abusive and who take advantage of Filipinos who just wanted to get decent jobs are connected,” Hontiveros said Wednesday. — Kaycee Valmonte with reports from Xave Gregorio and Franco Luna