Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and PNP-ACG acting director Maj. Gen. Andre Dizon signed the memorandum of agreement in Mandaluyong City on 5 November.
The partnership aims to improve how authorities detect, report and investigate online illegal recruitment, digital exploitation and other cybercrimes involving migrant workers.
Reports Go Straight to Investigators
At the core of the agreement is a referral mechanism. Complaints that OFWs and their families file with the DMW will now go directly to PNP-ACG investigators for action.
Hans Leo Cacdac
“From today, your report will not stop at our desk,” Cacdac said. “It will reach the cybercrime investigators who can act on it.”
The two agencies will also train staff on emerging cybercrime schemes, case-building and information-sharing.
They will coordinate investigations into online illegal recruitment, human trafficking, fraud and identity theft.
Verify Before You Pay
Cacdac urged OFWs and their families to check that a recruitment agency is licensed and its job order approved by the DMW before applying.
He also warned against paying fees into personal accounts, a common sign of a scam.
“Never pay fees to a personal account, and if you see something suspicious online, report it to the DMW,” he said.
The DMW and PNP-ACG will add lessons on online scams, digital literacy, illegal recruitment and human trafficking to the Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar, which prospective OFWs attend before working abroad.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Philippines based on an image by PMGen Andre Perez Dizon via Facebook.
