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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Two alleged scammers have reportedly fled the country after pocketing AED 3.6 million (P61.7 million) from around 400 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), in what could be the United Arab Emirates’ largest visa fraud case in recent years.
The alleged suspects — Junie Sorsano, a prominent Dubai-based content creator for over a decade, and Ryan Ronel Baco — left the UAE during the first week of September and are now reportedly hiding in the Philippines.
An undetermined number of victims still in the Philippines have also organized to seek help from authorities.
Sorsano serves as the CEO and founder of Trip Expert Business and Marketing Solutions, which opened on May 15, 2025, while Baco operates as the managing director.
The firm offered “legitimate and legal” freelance visa packages priced at AED 9,000 (P154,500) per applicant. The packages bypassed standard Philippine government safeguards, including contract verifications by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), as well as the UAE-prescribed electronic salary transfer system.
Suspects’ apology, office closure
Prior to fleeing, Sorsano and Baco issued a joint public apology in September.
“We ask for your patience and kind consideration while we work through this challenging period,” the statement read.
However, victims reported that the two have been completely unreachable since the statement was released. Furthermore, Trip Expert’s primary corporate office in Deira, Dubai, has been closed due to an alleged failure to pay rent.
Victims noted that a major factor that drew them to the company was the involvement of two popular vloggers, who regularly appeared in advertisements promoting the merits of the freelance visa package.
The digital creators, Abdul Hamid Bandon and Enrico Cardoniga, have strongly denied any involvement in the fraudulent scheme. On the contrary, both said the controversy has severely damaged their vlogging careers.
Cardoniga, acting on legal advice, declined to go on record but disclosed that two major brands have already suspended their partnerships with him.
Meanwhile, Bandon said he is waiting for the situation to “cool down” before speaking extensively. “May mga nagtatanong sa akin (People are asking me),” he said.
Diplomatic, legal response
Ambrosio Brian Enciso III, Consul General at the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, confirmed that authorities are actively investigating the scheme.
“The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) Dubai, through its retained legal counsel, is providing appropriate support to individuals who have sought assistance,” Enciso said.
He noted that victims are receiving legal consultations and guidance on the documentary requirements needed by UAE authorities.
“Given the ongoing consultations and the need to respect the desire of the individuals concerned to maintain confidentiality, we are unable to provide further details at this time,” he said.
PCG lawyer Eisa Khalife noted he is compiling evidence to formalize a case and may escalate the matter internationally.
“I may ask the Interpol (international police),” Khalife said, noting that he met with a delegation of 25 victims on October 7.
Interpol involvement would be required to extradite and bring the two suspects back to the UAE for prosecution.
Scam telltale signs
Many victims paid for the steep visa fees by using up their personal savings or taking out high-interest loans from lending agencies. They became suspicious only after Trip Expert abruptly scrubbed its digital presence.
Cherry Laroga, an applicant, noticed the red flags when the company’s heavy stream of Facebook advertisements suddenly stopped.
“September 24 yung time na nag-scroll ako sa Facebook, ‘di na lumalabas ads nila. Duon ako nagtaka kaya naghanap ako sa TikTok, dun may nabasa akong comment na ‘wag bumili ng visa diyan kasi marami ang di na-process…kaya nag-message ako sa agent ko nung same day,” said Laroga.
(It was September 24 when I scrolled on Facebook and noticed that their ads were not showing anymore. I grew suspicious and searched TikTok, where I saw comments warning people not to buy visas from them because applications weren’t being processed. I messaged my agent that same day.)
She said her agent responded honestly.
“’I will be transparent with you, ma’am,’” Laroga said, recalling the agent’s response. “Wala daw pong funds ang company… kaya pati kaming empleyado walang sahod at hindi rin matapos ang application ninyo sa visa.’”
(The company reportedly has no funds…that’s why even us, employees, do not have salaries anymore, and it’s the reason why your visa application hasn’t been processed.)
Run by Filipinos
The fallout quickly escalated across social media, prompting victims to storm Trip Expert’s abandoned corporate offices demanding refunds and report the incident to the PCG.
The victims are mostly domestic helpers, caregivers, and retail sales staff — who sought freelance visas to legally pursue independent, self-sponsored employment.
Gwendolyn Cajutol said she has accumulated more than AED11,000 in fines for overstaying because she still does not have her Emirates ID due to the scam.
“Fully paid na ko sa visa. Sakit ng naranasan ko ngayon. Masakit. Mahirap tanggapin po,” she said.
(I’ve already paid in full for the visa. What I’m going through right now is so painful. It hurts. It’s hard to accept.)
Fatima, who requested anonymity, said she had trusted the visa company because they were run by Filipinos. She had also felt assured by their regular social media advertisements.
“Noong una po, sila mismo ang sobrang kulit. Panay ang tawag at chat nila sa akin para kumbinsihin akong mag-avail ng kanilang self-sponsored visa processing,” she recalled.
(At first, they were the ones who were really persistent. They kept calling and messaging me to convince me to avail of their self-sponsored visa processing service.)
“Dahil mga kababayan ko rin po sila at mukhang maayos at legitimate ang kanilang operation, nagtiwala po ako,” Fatima said, adding that she paid AED9,000 in May this year.
“Binayaran ko po agad ng cash kasi sabi nila hindi daw ipa-process kapag hindi fully paid. Ang usapan po namin ay matatapos ang proseso within approximately 60 working days o dalawang buwan.”
(Since they are also my Filipinos and their operation seems to be sound and legitimate, I trusted them. I paid in cash immediately because they said the process wouldn’t move forward unless it was fully paid. We agreed that the process would be completed within approximately 60 working days, or two months.)
Expired visa, frozen bank account
Fatima said things changed after she made the payment.
“Kung anu-anong dahilan na po ang sinasabi nila. Paulit-ulit nilang sinasabi na delayed daw sa authorities, kaya patuloy lang kaming naghihintay at umaasa. Ngayon po, magli-limang buwan na, pero wala pa rin akong residency visa,” she said.
(They kept giving all sorts of reasons. They repeatedly claimed that things were being delayed by the authorities, so we just kept waiting and hoping. It has now been nearly five months, yet I still do not have a residency visa.)
Her grace period has since expired, forcing her to exit the UAE to Oman twice on costly tourist visa extensions.
Fatima’s UAE bank account has also been frozen. She has been jobless for two months, and she cannot send money home to her family.
“Hindi na po ako halos makatulog. Hindi na ako makakain nang maayos dahil sa kakaisip kung ano ang mangyayari sa visa ko, sa pera ko at sa kinabukasan ko dito sa Dubai,” Fatima said, noting that she even borrowed the AED 9,000 needed to pay the visa fee.
(I can barely sleep or eat properly from worrying about my visa, my money, and my future in Dubai.)
“Kami po ang mga OFW na araw-araw nagtatrabaho at nagsasakripisyo para makaipon. Nagtiwala kami dahil mga kapwa Pilipino namin ang kausap namin,” added Fatima.
(We are OFWs who work and make sacrifices every single day in order to save money. We placed our trust in them) because we were dealing with fellow Filipinos.)
“Mas masakit po dahil sa ibang bansa na nga po kami, kapwa Pilipino pa sana ang aasahan namin. Kung sino pa ang kapwa Pilipino mo sa abroad, sila pa pala ang makakapagbigay sa ‘yo ng ganitong problema.”
“Gusto lang po namin ng hustisya.”
(It hurts even more because we’re already in a foreign country, so we’re expecting to be able to rely on fellow Filipinos. It turns out that the very people you’d expect to support you, your fellow Filipinos abroad, are the ones who end up causing you this kind of trouble. We just want justice.) – Rappler.com
