{
  "id": 1535146,
  "title": "Europe job scam: 1,700 aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) rescued",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/europe-job-scam-1-700-aspiring-overseas-filipino-workers-ofws-rescued",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T18:16:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/europe-job-scam-1700-aspiring-overseas-filipino-workers-ofws-rescued-1.500644058"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Around 1,700 aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been rescued from an alleged large-scale illegal recruitment scheme involving fake job offers in Central Europe, according to the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Authorities arrested Mazhoor Ubongin Khusin, also known as “Maz,” on July 20, 2026, in Mexico, and he was subsequently arrested by authorities in Pampanga. Khusin was allegedly the officer of ALJU International Manpower Services Inc., a recruitment agency that had previously faced regulatory sanctions over misrepresentation of overseas employment opportunities and excessive placement fees. The scheme reportedly offered jobs in Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, with promised salaries of up to 90,000 Philippine pesos ($1,500) a month. Five more suspects remain at large. The DMW urges jobseekers to exercise caution when dealing with overseas employment offers, particularly those demanding large placement fees or promising unusually high salaries.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}