The Embassy has received several reports of Filipino nationals who were recruited in the Philippines with promises of job placements supposedly in Thailand or in other countries, but were subsequently left abandoned by their recruiters in Bangkok.

Filipino individuals who fell for this deployment scam recall that the "modus operandi" of their recruiters is to entice them with promises of high-paying jobs and tales of successful "direct hire" deployment. The Embassy has received reports that the victims paid their recruiters between PhP70,000 and Php150,000 for placement fees, only to realize that the deployment was a hoax after overstaying in Bangkok with little or no prospect at all of finding jobs.

Many of the recruits who persisted were either arrested or deported for carrying false identities or tampered passports and visas. The Embassy is also verifying reports that some recruits, who became so desperate to recover their huge expenses, were subjected to further exploitation.

The Embassy strongly urges the Filipino community in Thailand to remind their families and friends in the Philippines to be extremely wary of job offers in "telemarketing" in Bangkok or in factories in Central America or South Korea. It is important to verify first the POEA accreditation of recruiters offering jobs overseas before considering any of their proposals. The PEOA hotline is (632) 722-1144 or 722-1155.

All victims of illegal recruitment are encouraged to file formal complaints at the Embassy or the POEA office in Manila so that appropriate measures could be taken.

Illegal recruitment, under Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act, is a criminal offense which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years imprisonment and a fine of PhP500,000.