Officials of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was alarmed upon receiving a number of complaints from Filipino workers employed in Malaysia and other countries regarding financial scams.
According to the report, Filipino women which are employed in a good company overseas and earning a high salary is the target of this scam.
To make it convincing, swindlers often use fake documents with supposed names of Malaysian officials. They would usually try to befriend the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) with a story that would tempt the OFW to shell out their hard-earned money. Here are the different versions of the story that the scammers use:
Version1: They would inform about a job opening for reputable company and that the OFW is very qualified for the high-paying position.
Version2: The scammer would inform that he had received an S.O.S email from another OFW friend in Malaysia that urgently needs help. The OFW is apparently in custody of Malaysian authorities and needs money for bail.
Version3. An important package or a bunch of foreign currency notes under the Filipino's name in Malaysia needs to be claimed as soon as possible.
The stories they use may differ but in the end, one thing remains constant in all scams. The swindlers will always ask the victim to remit money. The scammer would say that they would use the money either for job contract processing, as payment to the courier or to help the friend in need.
Due to the number of complaints, the Philippine Embassy issued an advisory to remind OFWs to be wise and not fall for this type of scam. They advised OFWs to first consult with the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate before believing any internet offers.