A family from Pangasinan has come forward to expose an alleged online recruitment scheme that lured their relative to Russia under the promise of a high-paying job, only for him to end up fighting in the war in Ukraine and later being captured by Ukrainian forces.

Raymon Gumangan, a resident of Alcala, Pangasinan, traveled to Russia after reportedly getting recruited online for what was presented as legitimate work, according to his brother, Ryan Gumangan.

Raymon is now being held by Ukrainian forces.

Ryan said a foreign national he identified only as “Perst” recruited him, Raymon, and several others through social media and messaging apps. The recruiter allegedly promised legal contracts and large salaries for work in Russia.

“Truck driver po iyong apply ko doon, logistics, tapos pagdating ko doon, pipirma ng kontrata. May matatanggap na 300 thousand to 400 thousand pesos Philippine money. Tapos ang sahod buwan-buwan P200,000 to P250,000,” Ryan said.

According to Ryan, at least 13 people were offered the same opportunity. He and two others were scheduled to fly to Russia via Kuala Lumpur in October 2024, but were stopped by Philippine immigration authorities due to incomplete documents and were not allowed to leave the country.

After their departure was blocked, Ryan said the recruiter proposed an alternative route to reach Russia.

“Instruction ni Perst, pupunta ng Zamboanga, tapos magbabangka. Iyon iyong sinabi niya para makatawid ng ibang bansa, mag-Malaysia,” Ryan said.

Ryan said they decided not to continue after Raymon warned him against pushing through.

“Tol, huwag ka nang tumuloy, kasi hindi mo kaya iyong trabaho dito,” Ryan quoted his brother as saying.

Ryan said he has since lost contact with the recruiter, who has allegedly left their group chat.

Following the incident, the Migrant Workers Office in Alcala reiterated its warning against overseas job offers made through social media platforms.

“Pakikipag-usap lang via Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp o social media, illegal recruitment iyon,” Myrlene Galvan, migrant desk officer in Alcala, said.

Authorities urged job seekers to verify recruiters and agencies before accepting overseas work offers to avoid falling victim to illegal recruitment.

“Punta po kayo dito sa office, magtatanong kung licensed ba iyong agency, kung proper ba iyong person na nagre-recruit,” Galvan added.