INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Job offers of chat support in Cambodia posted on social media giant Facebook is a “100 percent” scam, a human trafficking victim said on Wednesday.
During the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality hearing, alias Ron, who was trafficked to Cambodia, recalled that he was forced to work in the human resource department of a cryptocurrency scamming firm.
He posted job offers for chat support or call center in Cambodia on Facebook.
“Interesado ako du’n sa sinabi mong nagpo-post ka sa Facebook ng mga job offer. Sa makatuwid ba — babala na ba ito sa ating mga kababayan? — lahat ng nakalagay na job offer sa Facebook na customer support o call center sa Cambodia, scam ba ‘yun lahat?” Senator Risa Hontiveros, panel chairperson, asked.
(I’m interested in what you said about posting job offers on Facebook. Does this mean — will this serve as a warning to our fellow Filipinos? — that all job offers of customer support or call center in Cambodia that are posted on Facebook are scam?)
Ron replied: “Yes po, 100 percent po. Papalabas nila na customer service, chat support. Pagdating du’n gagawin kang scammer.”
(Yes, 100 percent. They will say that it is a customer service chat support job. But when you get there, they will make you a scammer.)
Hontiveros then advised the public to avoid such job offer posts.
“So, kapag job offer na naka-post sa Facebook na customer support o call center sa Cambodia, scam ‘yun lahat. Takbuhan nila ‘yan. Huwag nilang pauunlakan ‘yan,” she said.
(So, job offers of customer support or call centers in Cambodia that are posted on Facebook are all scams. Run away from that. Do not engage with that.)
Hontiveros said that the panel invited Facebook to participate in the hearing. However, they declined.
“We invited Facebook to this hearing, but they sent their regrets. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali (If I’m not mistaken), Facebook also came under fire in 2019 for abetting human trafficking and domestic servitude practices, and we should not, we cannot allow them to remain a playground for traffickers,” the opposition senator said.
Hontiveros’ committee is looking into the human trafficking of Filipinos in Myanmar and Cambodia to work as scammers.