On July 2, Elizabeth Mendoza and Jocelyn Madera were arrested in Valenzuela City, Philippines, after offering non-existent jobs to 20 Filipinos from Valenzuela, Baguio, Tarlac and Pangasinan, ABS-CBN News reported.
According to the police, Mendoza and Madera promised their victims jobs on a farm in Japan with monthly salaries from PHP75,000 to PHP80,000 (US$1,404 to US$1,591).
One of the would-be migrant workers, Romeo Marcos, said he paid the pair a hefty fee to secure a job that never materialized.
Mendoza and Madera were charged with syndicated estafa (swindling). They both denied being involved in illegal recruitment.