Several OFWs in South Korea Fell Victim to Scam

Several OFWs in South Korea Scammed by Fellow Filipino

Several Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in South Korea fell victim to a scam, prompting them to seek assistance from the Philippine Embassy in Korea. The suspect behind the scam is reported to be a fellow Pinay.

When Korea reopened its doors to Overseas Filipino Workers in 2022, a certain alias Marla wasted no time and flew to South Korea to work for a manufacturing company in the Gyeonggido area.

‘Marla’ borrowed money for her travel expenses and other costs from a Pinay businesswoman she had met in Korea. According to their agreement, Marla would repay the loan once she started working.

Several OFWs

However, upon arriving in Korea, Marla decided to take out a loan from a bank for her other needs. It was at this point that the Pinay businesswoman allegedly offered to help once again.

“Hiningi nila po passport, contract, alien registration id, bank book at pin number po ng aming atm. At sila na lang daw po bahala mag-process,” Marla said.

Reportedly, a lending company lent ‘Marla’ 33 million won, equivalent to P1.3 million. However, only 7 million won reached the OFW, while the remaining 26 million won went to the Pinay businesswoman, who promised to take responsibility for the monthly repayments. But it didn’t take long before Marla encountered difficulties in paying back the loan.

“Delayed na ang bayad. Nahirapan kami na automatic deduction sa sweldo namin at mayroon na ring court order to pay. Wala na kaming maipapadala sa pamilya namin. Ang mga lending company pinupuntahan na po ako dito sa company, nahihiya ako sa amo ko po at kasi sila madalas tinatawagan. At walang wala na po kami kahit pangkain dito. Pinapadalhan po kami ng OWWA ayudang pagkain. Sinagad po talaga ang 3 years namin contract sa loan,” Marla revealed.

Apart from Marla, several other OFWs who fell victim to the alleged Pinay scammer and the same modus operandi sought assistance from the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) section of the Philippine Embassy.

According to the ATN, it is estimated that over 150 individuals have become victims of this scammer.

Representatives from the embassy accompanied the affected Filipinos to file complaints at the police station and petition the court to explain to the lending companies that they were victims of the Pinay businesswoman’s scheme.

The authorities have also issued a hold departure order against the accused Pinay scammer.

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