MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has intensified its campaign against online job scams targeting Filipinos seeking employment abroad, following a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). In a significant milestone, the DMW, in collaboration with social media platforms Facebook and TikTok, has successfully taken down 73,714 fake job postings as of April 2025, according to Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
“We have recorded 73,714 take downs on Facebook and TikTok. We continue to monitor daily and are actively cooperating with Meta to combat syndicates that impersonate legitimate recruitment agencies,” Cacdac said in a news release on Thursday, April 24, 2025 DMW steps up crackdown.
Nature of the Scams
These fraudulent schemes often appear as legitimate overseas job offers but lead to dire consequences, including human trafficking. Victims are lured with promises of high-paying jobs in countries like Thailand, Singapore, or Vietnam, only to be trafficked to “scam hubs” in Cambodia, Myanmar, or Laos, where they are forced into exploitative work, such as cryptocurrency scams. Some victims have reported paying placement fees as high as P200,000, only to face abuse and coercion abroad DMW: 70,000 fake online job offers thwarted.
Scammers employ sophisticated tactics, such as duplicating the official Facebook pages of DMW-licensed recruitment agencies to appear credible. Red flags include job offers requiring early payment of fees via electronic transfer, transactions conducted outside the registered business address of licensed agencies, and the absence of official receipts for fee collection DMW cautions against overseas job scams.
Progress in Combating Scams
The DMW’s efforts have shown steady progress. By January 2025, the department had already removed 71,653 fake job postings, including 50,220 on Facebook and 21,433 on TikTok. Earlier, in August 2024, Meta Philippines had taken down 23,731 accounts and posts, while TikTok Philippines deactivated 9,436, reflecting the scale of the problem and the ongoing collaboration with social media platforms DMW cautions against overseas job scams. By April 2025, the total number of takedowns reached 73,714, underscoring the persistent challenge.
The DMW has also taken action against illegal recruitment agencies. For instance, Legal Connect Travel Consultancy in Quezon City was closed for offering fraudulent jobs in Italy and Malta, collecting fees of P80,000 to P100,000 from victims. Other cases include Golden Power SRLS and Alpha Assistenza in Italy, which defrauded 223 individuals of P40 million, and Jewel Travel Documentation Service, where seven suspects were arrested for collecting P43 million from 176 complainants promising jobs in Canada, Poland, New Zealand, and Australia DMW: 70,000 fake online job offers thwarted.
Enhancing Surveillance and Prevention
To address the growing volume and sophistication of these scams, the DMW is scaling up its online surveillance efforts. Senator Raffy Tulfo has advocated for an increase of 20 to 30 surveillance teams to expedite the identification of fraudulent postings. “Let’s increase the surveillance teams by 20 to 30 to speed up the identification of scams,” Tulfo urged DMW steps up crackdown.
The DMW also advises the public to verify the legitimacy of recruitment agencies on its official website and to be cautious of suspicious job offers. The department has issued clear guidelines, warning against unsolicited job offers, especially those requiring upfront payments or lacking proper documentation. Suspicious activities can be reported to the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau via email at [[email protected]] or through their Facebook page DMW cautions against overseas job scams.
Support for Victims
Beyond prevention, the DMW is committed to supporting victims of these scams. Through its Migrant Workers Office in Bangkok and the AKSYON Fund, approved by President Marcos Jr., the department provides post-arrival assistance, financial aid, and repatriation services to affected OFWs. In one case, a couple recruited as telesales agents in Laos paid P800,000 to secure their freedom after enduring abuse, having been promised salaries of P45,000 per month DMW: 70,000 fake online job offers thwarted.
Victims’ testimonies play a crucial role in identifying illegal recruiters. The DMW forwards these cases to the Department of Justice and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for prosecution. “We have helped all the victims. We have provided AKSYON Fund assistance, and when we have taken their statements, they can identify their illegal recruiters, which we forward to the DOJ and IACAT,” Cacdac said DMW steps up crackdown.
Future Initiatives
To strengthen its protective measures, the DMW plans to establish Migrant Workers Offices in high-risk regions such as Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Myanmar, where recruitment hubs are prevalent. “Places with recruitment hubs like Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Myanmar do not have MWOs yet, but we promise to set up MWOs in these places within the year,” Cacdac announced DMW steps up crackdown.
For immediate assistance, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) 1348 hotline operates 24/7, with all complaints promptly endorsed to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for action. The DMW is also intensifying its collaboration with IACAT and other agencies to enhance the protection of OFWs.
Public Advisory and Resources
The DMW continues to urge Filipinos to exercise caution when seeking overseas employment. The department recommends dealing only with licensed recruitment agencies and verifying job offers through the DMW’s official website, which provides information on approved job orders, licensed agencies, and government-to-government recruitment programs DMW official website. The public is also encouraged to report suspicious job offers to help curb the proliferation of these scams.
As the DMW ramps up its efforts, the fight against online job scams remains a critical priority to ensure the safety and well-being of Filipinos pursuing opportunities abroad.
