A 50-year-old overseas worker from Iloilo lost both her employment and close to P200,000 after falling victim to a fraudulent recruiter who promised her a job placement in Europe, GMA Regional TV News reported Friday.
The woman had been working in Singapore when she was approached by someone claiming to represent a legitimate recruitment agency. The suspect offered to facilitate her application for work in Europe — an opportunity the victim says she genuinely wanted to pursue.
“Nag-request siya ng payment. Nagpadala ako kasi, siyempre, ang nasa isip ko is direct na maka-apply ako kasi gusto kong makapunta sa ibang bansa,” the victim said.
Convinced that the process was moving forward, she handed over a total of P189,000, which the suspect said was needed to cover visa processing and other documentation fees.
Acting on the belief that her departure to Europe was imminent, the victim resigned from her job in Singapore and returned to Iloilo — only to discover that no visa had been secured, no work permit processed, and no legitimate placement existed.
“Nang umuwi ako ng Pilipinas, doon ko na-discover na lahat ng visa, work permit, wala, hindi nagawa. Hiningan ko siya ng resibo, walang maibigay,” she recounted.
She subsequently filed a complaint with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit of the Philippine National Police. RACU-6 digital forensics chief Police Lt. Darius Alinsasaguin confirmed the case was a scam, noting that the person who had posed as a recruitment agent could not produce any valid identification.
“Pasok siya sa scam since walang mga identification card. Hinihingan natin si Ma’am kung may ID ang nagpakilalang agent ng isang agency. Walang maipakita kaya na-scam talaga siya,” Alinsasaguin said.
Authorities used the case to renew their warning to the public about the dangers of online transactions with unverified recruiters.
