Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families who report online recruitment scams to the Philippine government will have their complaints referred directly to cybercrime investigators under a new partnership aimed at cracking down on illegal recruiters and online fraud.The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) have joined forces to strengthen the detection and investigation of online illegal recruitment, digital exploitation and other cybercrimes targeting migrant workers.Under the agreement, complaints received by the DMW will be forwarded to PNP-ACG investigators for appropriate action, allowing authorities to follow up on reports from OFWs and their families.Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac urged Filipinos seeking overseas employment to verify recruitment agencies before applying or handing over money. “Check if the agency is licensed and the job order is approved by the DMW. Never pay fees to a personal account, and if you see something suspicious online, report it to the DMW,” he said, in a statement carried by Philippine News Agency.The two agencies will also include information about online scams, digital literacy, illegal recruitment and human trafficking in the Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar attended by prospective migrant workers.”From today, your report will not stop at our desk — it will reach the cybercrime investigators who can act on it. Together, we send a clear message to those who use the internet to deceive and exploit our migrant workers that the government is online too and we will find you,” he added.They will conduct joint training on emerging cybercrime schemes, gathering evidence for cases and sharing information. The partnership will also cover investigations involving online illegal recruitment, human trafficking, fraud and identity theft.PNP-ACG acting director Maj. Gen. Andre Dizon said closer cooperation was needed to enforce the law and make cyberspace safer for Filipino migrant workers.”Together, let us strengthen our efforts to protect our migrant workers. We must uphold the law and ensure a safer cyberspace for every Filipino,” he said.This is not the first time Philippine authorities have warned jobseekers about suspicious overseas employment offers. On October 25, the country’s Bureau of Immigration cautioned Filipinos against fake job offers that ask them to travel abroad as tourists before starting work.The warning followed an incident involving a 50-year-old Filipino man who was stopped at Mactan-Cebu International Airport on October 10 while preparing to travel to Vietnam.During questioning, he reportedly told immigration officers that Russia was his intended work destination and that he had been offered a job as a K9 handler, according to GMA News.
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