By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora

SAFE NOW. Repatriated Filipinos arriving in the Philippines from Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia on Wednesday (April 16, 2025), assisted by government agencies, and the Office for Migration Affairs headed by Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega (7th from left). The repatriation was made possible with the coordination between the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia and the Cambodian authorities. (Photo courtesy of DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migration)

MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday cautioned Filipinos anew against dubious overseas jobs after it repatriates 26 Filipinos from Cambodia.

The agency cited an advisory by the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia reminding Filipinos to be vigilant and take necessary steps to verify job opportunities offered overseas such as “customer service representatives (CSR)” or chat support representatives.

“In many cases, these supposed CSR jobs involve victimizing unsuspecting individuals through love scams or fake investment schemes,” it said.

Quite a few Filipinos, it added, have either “knowingly pursued or been duped” by the employment package offers, including getting a salary ranging from USD800 to USD1,000 or more.

“According to Filipinos who were lured into this line of work, their recruiters provided no employment contracts,” the advisory read.

“Instead of direct flights to the country of destination, they were made to travel via other airports in the region. Some were taken to certain sea channels in the southern Philippines to escape immigration checks,” it added.

The DFA confirmed that it repatriated 26 Filipinos from Oddar Meanchey Province in Cambodia on Wednesday but has yet to confirm their profile or whether they were victims of the scam hubs in Southeast Asia.

The repatriation was made possible with the coordination between the Embassy and the Cambodian authorities.

The DFA said this is “a testament to the long-standing friendly ties between the Philippines and Cambodia and highlights both governments’ readiness to cooperate closely in matters of mutual concern,” it said.

Representatives from government agencies, including the DFA, Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), were at the airport to personally receive the 26 repatriates and provide them assistance.

The DFA, meanwhile, assured that its Assistance-to-Nationals mandate remains a priority for all Philippine Foreign Service Posts. (PNA)