DMW looking into Chinese mafia modus using OFWs as cryptocurrency scammers

MANILA –– The Department of Migrant Workers is looking into a lawmaker’s recent exposé on Chinese mafias supposedly forcing Filipinos to lure others into cryptocurrency scams, an official said Tuesday.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros this week cited the testimonies of 12 Filipinos rescued from a syndicate operating in Myanmar. They were allegedly starved and were not given salaries if they fail to scam individuals. 

“Maigting po ang pakikipag-ugnayan natin hindi lamang po sa office ni Senator Risa kung hindi sa law enforcement at sa Department of Foreign Affairs,” DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a televised public briefing. 

(We are coordinating not just with Senator Risa’s office, but also with law enforcement and the Department of Foreign Affairs.)

He said DMW Secretary Toots Ople ordered authorities to provide airport assistance, accommodation, legal aid, financial help and psychosocial counseling to the 12 Filipino victims. 

During her speech, Hontiveros said the syndicate wants an “all-Filipino team” of scammers due to their proficiency in English. 

“This is of extreme importance and urgency. This Chinese mafias are making the Philippines an incubator of scammers… We are not and will never be known as a nation of scammers,” Hontiveros said. 

Source: DMW looking into modus using OFWs as crypto scammers | ABS-CBN News