Filipinos working inside scam compounds in Cambodia risk prison sentences under a recently passed law targeting online fraud, according to a warning issued by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
The agency pointed to Cambodia’s Law on Combating Online Scams, which took effect in April 2026. Penalties under the statute run from two to five years for those who take part in scam operations. Heavier punishment of up to 20 years awaits anyone convicted of running schemes tied to harassment, torture, labor exploitation, human trafficking, or forced criminality.
At present, 47 Filipinos sit in detention across two provincial prisons, said Migrant Workers Undersecretary Felicitas Q. Bay.
“There was legislation issued last April, and unfortunately, meron po tayong forty-seven na naka-detain sa dalawang provincial prisons,” Bay said.
The DMW drew a line between offenders and trafficking victims. Filipinos coerced into these operations who voluntarily approach a shelter or the embassy will not face prosecution, the agency said, and will instead receive help returning home.
“So hinihikayat natin yung mga nasa scam hub operations na mga kababayan natin na kusang loob nang magtungo sa ating shelter o kaya sa embahada para hindi sila mapatawan o hindi sila maikulong,” Bay added.
To reach those trapped or compelled to work inside the compounds, the DMW directed them to contact the Philippine Embassy or the Migrant Workers Office in Cambodia. Job seekers, meanwhile, were told to steer clear of dubious listings circulating on Facebook, Telegram, and similar platforms.
Bureau of Immigration figures place roughly 13,000 Filipinos in Cambodia, employed in fields spanning education, health care, information technology, and sales.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac extended the caution to anyone weighing offers from scam farms in either Cambodia or Myanmar.
“Yung mga nagbabalak na nating kababayan na pumunta sa Cambodia o Myanmar scam farms, huwag na ho magpatuloy kasi deportation ang kararanasan, posibleng makulong pa ng ilang araw dahil iniimbestigahan at hindi po kanais-nais ang karanasan. Kaya’t ‘wag na ho magpatuloy,” Cacdac said.
The DMW noted that its newly established Migrant Workers Office in Cambodia has brought lawyers on board to represent Filipino trafficking victims.
