3 Pinoys rescued from scam hub in Cambodia

INQUIRER.net stock images

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities have rescued three Filipinos who claimed they were duped into working as scammers in Cambodia and then beaten when they tried to escape.

The National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement on Monday that it learned about the situation of the victims after they asked the bureau for help by sending a video message and photos showing their bruises.

In response, NBI agents went to Cambodia on March 14 and, with the help of authorities there, secured the release of the Filipinos who came home on Sunday. They were provided with medical assistance and proper counseling upon their arrival.

According to the victims, they applied online in January as customer service representatives in Cambodia with a monthly salary of $1,000.

READ: POGO workers: Over 400 of them nabbed in Pasay scam hub

They said they were later contacted by a Filipino human resources representative of a Cambodian casino company who promised to shoulder all their travel expenses.

The NBI said the trio left the country on Jan. 7 “without going through the proper procedures.”

The victims first traveled by plane to Dipolog City, before boarding a ferry that took them to Tawi-Tawi. From there, they transferred to boats twice until they reached Sabah, Malaysia.

The group said they were moved from one place to another until they reached the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Jan. 17.

However, instead of working as customer service representatives, the victims told the NBI that they were ordered to scam “elderly” foreigners through cryptocurrency. They were given cellphones where they had to download social media apps such as Signal, Twitter and Instagram, which they used to contact prospective victims.

According to the victims, they stayed in a compound composed of several buildings and were not allowed to go out by their Chinese bosses.