OFW falls for 'love scam' after being offered high-paying job abroad

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday reiterated its warning for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) against dubious job offers abroad. 

This comes after an OFW fell victim to the so-called "love scam" after  being offered a supposed high-paying call center jobs abroad. 

According to the BI, a returning OFW who worked as a domestic helper in Bahrain for almost 2 years was approached by a male stranger during a layover in Dubai. 

The man offered the OFW a job as a call center agent in Thailand with a monthly salary of Php 50,000. The victim accepted the stranger’s offer and flew to Bangkok instead of heading home to the Philippines.

Upon arriving in Bangkok, the victim was transferred to Chiang Rai province and then to Laos by boat.

The BI said she then worked for a “love scam” syndicate for two months and was not paid a single centavo. 

“Beware of strangers who will approach you with offers of high-paying jobs overseas. They will only make your lives miserable at the expense of your families, who depend on you for financial support,” said BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco.

The victim was able to run away from her employers, seek assistance from the Philippine Embassy in Vientianne, and then go back home.

The BI has previously released several advisories reminding Filipinos not to fall prey to syndicates recruiting aspiring overseas workers to work in pseudo-call centers, only to end up as scammers. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/ VAL, GMA