Philippines Saves 1,048 Online Scams Victims, 143 Of Them Indonesian Citizens

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that the Philippine authorities and representatives of a number of foreign countries managed to save more than 1,000 victims of online scams, of which 143 were Indonesian citizens (WNI).

"This morning I received a report from our Indonesian Embassy in Manila that the Philippine law enforcement authorities working with foreign national representatives in Manila, including our Indonesian Embassy, have carried out operations to rescue victims of online scams," Foreign Minister Retno explained in a press statement in Jakarta, Friday, May 5.

"The operation managed to save a total of 1,048 people from 10 countries, including from Indonesia. The victims of Indonesian citizens who were rescued amounted to 143 people," he continued.

He further explained that the Indonesian Embassy in Manila is currently collecting data and will facilitate the repatriation of victims to Indonesia.

"The figures and what is conveyed regarding the operation in Manila show the magnitude of the crime of human trafficking whose victims are ASEAN citizens," said Foreign Minister Retno.

Ditegaskan olehnya, kasus online scams ini sudah menjadi masalah regional dengan korban berasal dari berbagai negara. Untuk korban dari Indonesia, tercatat berada di Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos dan Filipina.

"In the last 3 years we have handled and resolved 1,841 cases of online scams. From this number, it can be seen that the magnitude of human trafficking in the online scam field is large," said Foreign Minister Retno.

"And what we do is to help facilitate shelters when handling them after we evacuate, provide legal assistance, psychological counseling, until repatriation returns to Indonesia," he said.