SEN. Joel Villanueva said the government should implement stronger action against illegal online recruiters, beyond merely removing fraudulent job advertisements.
”Prevention, prosecution, conviction. We need to intensify our campaign against illegal online recruitment further,” Villanueva said during the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) budget hearing on Tuesday.
Figures presented during the hearing showed that authorities took down 87,011 online scam posts in 2025 and 44,079 in the first half of 2026. However, recorded convictions for online scams stood at nine in 2025 and four in the first six months of 2026.
”As we can see from the figures, this is precisely what the crooks are busy with. But of course, conviction is another story,” said Villanueva, principal sponsor and author of the DMW Act.
Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said that identity theft was among the latest tactics used by online illegal recruiters who impersonate legitimate, licensed recruitment agencies to deceive prospective migrant workers.
The scheme can be difficult to detect because the agency being impersonated may appear on the government’s list of licensed recruitment agencies, Olalia said.
He advised jobseekers to personally visit the main or authorized branch of a licensed recruitment agency, deal directly with its authorized personnel and avoid sending payments through digital wallets or other online payment facilities.
Villanueva called for closer coordination among the DMW, immigration authorities and law enforcement agencies.
He cited a Sept. 17 report concerning the National Bureau of Investigation’s reported arrest of an immigration officer allegedly linked to the departure of five Thailand-bound potential trafficking victims despite incomplete travel documents. The officer was reportedly accused of receiving P40,000 per passenger.
”If there are networks utilizing legitimate identities or online platforms, or if insiders are involved, the government’s response must be coordinated to identify and hold accountable those behind these activities,” he said.
Villanueva commended the DMW’s intensified operations against illegal recruitment and trafficking in the region.
Olalia reported that the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau and its regional offices had carried out 19 closure operations and 19 entrapment operations. He also reported 16 convictions involving illegal recruitment and trafficking.
