BI intercepts 2 women recruited for Laos scam hubs

Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers intercepted two Filipino women at NAIA Terminal 3 who were recruited to work in scam hubs in Laos, falsely claiming they were on vacation.

The women, aged 25 and 31, were promised a monthly salary of PHP50,000 for customer service representative roles and had paid a social media fixer for fabricated documents.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval expressed concern over the rising number of Filipinos leaving the country for "POGO-like" scam companies in Asian countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.

Sandoval noted that approximately 118 Filipinos have been recruited to work in these "scam hubs," which often pose as business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

Intelligence reports indicate that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) are now funding call center agents to act as "brand ambassadors" to recruit their peers for illegal gambling hubs abroad.

This trend of Filipinos being recruited for scam centers overseas was observed even before the ban on POGOs was announced in July 2024, with operations now being reversed, luring Filipinos out of the country.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado warned the public about scam hubs preying on Filipinos with lucrative job offers and urged caution when considering overseas employment.