THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) on Saturday, August 16, 2025, denied claims that it is asking for fees from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for repatriation services.
In a social media post, Owwa said there is no truth to claims that the agency is charging fees to cover the plane tickets of OFWs set to be repatriated.
"Remember, Kabayan: When someone asks for money onlineāit's a scam for sure!" said Owwa.
"The real Owwa does not collect payments through Messenger or personal accounts," it added.
Owwa said such claims come from unscrupulous individuals or groups posing as representatives of the Owwa Operations Center.
"There are fake accounts using official Owwa images to scam and demand payment on Messenger," said Owwa.
In the bogus claim, Owwa is supposedly asking for payment to cover the fare of an OFW seeking repatriation.
"It's first come, first serve. To avoid any more hassle and delays, just send to my GCash now so we can secure the ticket and he can go home right away," the fake Owwa post stated.
Owwa emphasized that facilitating the early repatriation of distressed OFWs through its repatriation program is part of its mandate. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)