Hello guys, someone offered me a side hustle thru LinkedIn regarding dropshipping business. That person wants me to attend a meeting on the office daw para madiscuss yung whole concept and how it works. I’m quite hesitant kasi baka mamaya may ipainvest sakin or what hahaha. I just wanted to ask if a similar scenario happened sa inyo? Totoong job kaya ito? Too good to be true kasi ang offer 😣
Hey everyone. I’m sharing my story because I just won a month-long battle against a PayPal permanent account limitation here in the Philippines. I managed to force PayPal to completely reverse their "irreversible" decision after their automated systems and chat support tried to gaslight me. If your account is locked and you are being told "the decision is final," DO NOT GIVE UP, only IF you are in the right.
Here is exactly what happened, step-by-step.
The Background
I am a Philippine-based freelancer. I created my PayPal account in late 2024 and it went completely inactive for a while. On April 24, 2026, I received my first-ever transaction on the account, my legitimate weekly salary of about $200 from my employer for a 45-day performance period. The second the funds hit, the automated system immediately locked my account.
Step 1: The First Fake Reason (Age/Country)
On April 27, after I sent the info's they requested, PayPal deactivated my account claiming I was "underage" at account creation and that the Philippines is an "unsupported country." This was completely absurd. I was born in 1999 and created the account on 2024, you do the math. I appealed immediately and sent my government ID, which proved both my age and my residency.
Step 2: Shifting Goalposts & The Broken Resolution Center
Instead of reinstating my account after I disproved their first lie, PayPal shifted the reason to "Unsupported Activity." They sent me an email asking for "additional compliance documents" and gave me instructions to upload files via the Resolution Center.
The catch? The dashboard was totally broken. There was no upload portal, no "Action" column, and no "Resolve" links. When I tried to click "Report a Problem" to bypass it, the page crashed with an error saying "Something went wrong on our end." I took screenshots of everything.
Step 3: Executive Gaslighting
I escalated the issue to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the financial regulator in the Philippines, under the Financial Consumer Protection Act (RA 11765).
PayPal’s Global Customer Complaints & Advocacy team replied to the BSP with a massive letter trying to shut down my case. They claimed they did a "second-level human review" and denied my appeal. But they made a huge factual error: they wrote, "We appreciate that you have used PayPal since 2019." My profile literally says "Joined in 2024." They mixed my file up with someone else, proving their "executive review" was a sloppy sham.
Furthermore, they tried to claim they were holding my funds for 6-months under a "Buyer Protection Framework." My transfer was a B2B corporate payroll payment, not a retail e-commerce sale. There was no retail "buyer" to protect.
Step 4: Support Team Caught Lying on Camera
The Merchant Review Department finally stepped in and asked for address verification. When I created the account, a Google Maps autofill error had distorted my boarding house address into a weird typo string. Because the account was limited, I couldn't fix it myself.
I contacted live support:
The Final Strike
I compiled all of this into an absolute monster of an evidence PDF and screenshots (Exhibits A through G):
I sent this entire matrix back to the BSP handler and blasted it to 25+ different PayPal executive and compliance emails. I argued that PayPal was in material violation of RA 11765 by practicing procedural fraud, using inappropriate retail risk frameworks on corporate payroll, and treating verified evidence as a personal "view".
The Victory
After almost a month of fighting, PayPal folded completely. I received a cold, probably automated notification stating that full access to my account has been restored. They didn’t even apologize or acknowledge the complete mess their support teams and Resolution Center caused, but the restriction is gone, my account is clean, and I have already sent my salary to my local Bank account.
If you are dealing with a permanent limitation, gather your screenshots, look for factual errors in their responses, and escalate to your local financial regulator. Don't let them gaslight you!
TL;DR:
Received my first freelance salary on a newly reactivated account. PayPal automatically flagged it and deactivated my account, cycling through three fake reasons (underage, unsupported activity, and "possible fraud"). Their Resolution Center upload portal was completely broken, their dashboard crashed, and support agents actively lied to me; one agent manually fixed my address, while the next agents claimed manual updates were impossible and told me an appeal was "denied" before I even submitted it. I compiled all screenshots into a 7-exhibit evidence packet, cited the Financial Consumer Protection Act (RA 11765), escalated it to the Central Bank (BSP), and blasted 25+ PayPal compliance emails. After a 4-week battle, PayPal folded, lifted the limitation, and my salary is now safely transferred to my bank.
Hi po. I'm a government worker and I really want to find an online job to support my ailing and aging family. My salary is just around 25k but still hirap ako makapag provide since I'm the sole breadwinner. Kaso I fear baka naman magsuffer yung 8-5 ko or yung health ko since I'm a little old na. I have lots of experience with admin work since yun talaga work ko na so I'm thinking VA pero I am not that tech savvy to do social media work. Any advice would help po. Thank you.
Hello. not sure if tama yung flair. first time ko po mag post here.
My husband has this client since 2019. very tight na yung relationship nila. ilang beses na nag bigay ng pang purchase ng work setup upgrade. and other gifts for our family. ngayon, nakabili na kami ng lot for our future residential home. pero hesitant pa kami patayuan kasi need pa mag ipon ulit.
si client, gusto niya magpa loan sa’min ng 150k usd (with interest).
tho ayaw namin tanggapin kasi mas mataas interest niya compared sa bank. advantage lang is makukuha namin ng buo pag sa kanya.
kaya napapaisip pa rin kami na iconsider.
question: in the case na tanggapin namin, pa’no po ‘yun in terms of pag transfer ng money? kasi usual MOP sa husband ko is Wise. eh yung 150k usd is sobrang laki naman compared sa usual monthly sweldo nya. ma fflag na under AMLA hehe. thank u
EDIT: salamat po sa mga inputs and reminder! we decided not to accept the offer and to just save for now.
Hi, gusto ko lang malaman yung thought niyo regarding sa ganitong US client or kung may naencounter din kayong ganitong client.
For context, newbie freelance estimator po ako and nkuha ko si client sa OLJ. 40hrs per week ako sa kanya and 4 days lang pasok ko so bale 10hrs per day, $6/hr. Eto yung naobserved kong ugali ni client.
Hindi ko alam kung normal ba to sa mga US client? Kasi first time ko sa ganitong work setup. Red flag po ba yung ganito?
I shared the thread that blew up the other day wherein someone doxxed a bunch of VA's.
While I was asleep my wife and some friends checked it out and told me that the link to onlinescammers.ph was "wrong".
I checked and she was right. After clicking the link I sent her I saw that it was loading onlinejobs.ph instead. Did some checks and as of writing, onlinescammers.ph now has a permanent redirect to onlinejobs.ph.
Makes me feel like this was all orchestrated to blow up and once it was trending, the plan was to sell onlinejobs.ph as a way to not get scammed.
Other thing im feeling is that onlinejobs.ph got some complaints, wanted to doxx these VAs and these VAs or some one else reported onlinescammers.ph for doxxing, which is against the law and the site got taken down.
Update 1:
- comment with link to the archived version of the site
- comment by one of the doxxed VAs gives more clues on what might have happened
Same same responses. Magaling naman ako haha pero whhhyyyy hahahahaha
D ko na mabilang rejection emails huhu
Pa help naman pano makakuha ng client and pano makapasa
Hi! 15 years na kong VA pero Upwork lang yung platform ko. Yun ang mali ko kasi nag focus ako sa iisang platform. Ang dami ko ng naginng client and hindi ako nawalang ng client may time pa nakapag tayo ako ng agency because of that. Then come 2024 I gave birth to a preemie nagfocus ako sa kanya 2 months kami sa NICU. So hindi ako naakapasok sa mga work and alam ng mga clients ko. I still have 2 client pa puro part time and nag focus lang ako dun at sa anak ko kasi may tracheostomy sya nung nilabas. Come ng Dec 2024 nag focus lang ako sa isang client ko kasi graveyard at 10 to 12 hours a day monday to friday. I stop using my Upwork account since then. Sadly when I checked it back naka lock na Upwork ko without anything and when I ask the Upwork para mabalik yung account ko they Deleted it without anything. Now 2026 February my client laid me off. Since then nag hahanap nako ng work online sadly puro agency lang at masyado matataas ang expectation nila and Even if I have a broad experienced ang hirap makipagsabayan sa market ngayong as VA. As I only have linkedIN account na ma proof yung experienced ko.
Saw this on tiktok btw.
2.5 years of hard work, late nights, and loyalty… just to be told ‘we no longer need your services’ in a single email. Crazy how some clients can end everything like you meant nothing to them.
If you’re here sissy, hugs to you 🫂
I integrate AI with my workflow, too, but I feel like it's getting out of hand. It's starting to feel frustrating. 😒
The constant need to keep up.
The obsession with automating and optimizing everything.
The clients'/employers' increasing demand for speedy output which sometimes compromises quality.
The impossible requests because "you can do it with AI".
The AI slop, the hype, the lay offs, and more.
Sometimes I just want to unplug from the world and live off-grid, you know?
I get that AI is meant to make our lives easier, make us efficient - but from what I see, mas maraming negative effects akong nakikita.
For example, it's now easier to scam, manufacture lies, fabricate and spread fake news. And all that shit. What's worse is, they look realistic and believable.
The ordinary person who doesn't use AI will easily fall for it.
I feel bad for the unsuspecting public. 😔
Hello po! I would like to ask po paano po kaya makakakuha ng EU clients? For my background po, I have 10 years of experience in creative field. 7 years in creative design + creative lead then shifted to UIUX Designer. Currently I am a senior UIUX designer for 3 years na.
Sobrang tagal ko naghahanap nv EU clients pero di ko alam, walang pumapansin talaga 😭😭😭 Also kung di man palarin sa EU clients baka may alam po kayo saan pwede magapply for remote jobs?
Thank you so much po!
Hi! Long post ahead! Pa-rant lang kasi grabe experience ko today, not sure if this is some type of a scam, pero ngayon lang to nangyari after 3 years of working as an HR. So today, I scheduled 2 devs for technical interviews with the CEO and our lead.
1st applicant, he was okay during the initial interview, very confident when answering and he ticked of all the boxes. I already had some doubts bec. when I asked questions, nagppause sya ng 5 seconds and then he will answer naman. I saw that he was looking on the side pro subtle lang so I thought maybe meron lang syang guide while answering and the 5 sec pause is due to internet. Then eto na nga while nasa tech interview na, he was okay the first 15 mis na kahit CEO hindi inexpect na he’s using AI bec he answers very confidently and fluent pa - then middle of interview nabuking sya bec nahuli sa 1 question so we had to cut off the interview.
2nd applicant, the person na initerview ko during initial was a filipino guy from Mindanao and he answers very good din that’s why I scheduled him for a tech interview, interview came and ibang tao yung umattend (chinese) claiming that he’s that person, we had to cut the interview again.
Sobrang lala kasi they wasted the CEO’s time and parang napahiya din ako since I’m the one who scheduled the interviews. Sa mga nagaapply jan, be fair naman, nakakaloka lumaban naman kayo ng patas. Not sure if this is an ongoing case, pero most applicants are Chinese with Filipino names. Nakaka loka!
Finally, after 2 months applying almost everyday sa OLJ. After praying everyday na may isa man lang na magtiwala saakin. Akala ko taga-upvote na lang ako palagi ng mga success stories dito. After ilang rejections. Here it is.
I’m a career shifter and a mom. I left my 10yrs teaching job in the government. I had to leave everything and move location to save my sanity.
And that’s why I considered VA work. I enrolled to workshops and watched a LOT of YT. And I made countless of resume.(PS. Brayarn’s free website helped me a LOT!)
I still can’t believe it. Kahit part time lang.
This client. She’s the first person to actually maybe bet on me. Btw, my client is so nice and she’s a mom too! I think that’s why nung una pa lang I really felt the connection.
Pero yun nga since first time ko though marami na rin ako nabasa rito na tips and actually what to watch out for. I want to be careful pa rin.
I will be her first VA. The business is just new kaya need nia na ng katulong since solo nia lang before ang operations, natry ko na rin itanong kay GPT ang risks sa gantong business ni client. And I also did a lot of stalking na with this client, so far so good.
Btw, andaming gagawin sa role na binigay niya. Parang all around na. LeadGen. Customer support and may konting SMM for $4 for 5hrs a day and after 90days revisit nlang uli depende sa performance. I don’t know if this is lowball pero iniisip ko No VA experience naman ako and she’s going to train me naman kaya I think this will be better than nothing.
Question ko lang po. Hindi ko rin kasi alam paano iaprroach ito. Sa OLJ ako nag-apply pero since nagkausap kami sa googlemeet then sa email na kami nagkakausap and dito nia na rin sinend yung contract. Safe po ba dito? Or dapat ayain ko sya na bumalik sa OLJ? Haha. I’m so confused. Gusto ko lang makasiguro, marami din kasi ako nababasa na like ginoghost nlang bigla ng client. Or hindi binabayaran.
Thanks po sa sasagot. Sana wala na mambully dito saakin. At tatawagin akong t4nga just because I’m asking a harmless question. If may magagalit sa tanong ko kasi parang “t4nga” maggoogle nlang daw, i’ll delete nlang. Thanks po.
ask ko sana if ako lang ba naka experience neto haha so meron potential client na nagreach out sa linkedin. sabi niya he is looking for an assistant daw (EA) and so nag usap kami about sa rates and services ko. hanggang sa napunta sa travel yung usapan namin. plan daw niya mag visit sa PH and dito magwork while traveling. nashare ko din na ganon ginagawa ko.
so eto na nga, gusto niya pag visit ng PH, puntahan din daw niya mga employees niya dito. then he asked if interested daw ba ako mag work and travel, most of it would be business expense daw.
yesterday nag call kami. diniscuss niya mga ginagawa nila sa business nila and kung ano help needed niya. di kami masyado na usap sa travel kasi gusto niya muna daw pag usapan namin yung work.
yung company niya legit haha nagcheck nako sa google and linked in. ewan pero parang too good to be true? haha may naka experience naba sainyo ng ganto? may mga nakikita akong stories na yung client nila nagvivisit sa PH pero yung travel and work with client, first time ko to na encounter. any advice or tips po?
Nangyari lahat ito within the day lang. Nagising ako at nakatanggap ng message out of nowhere sa OLJ tinanong kaagad kung pwede ako mag full time sa kanya (EU company). Sabi ko oo pero titignan ko muna job description. After few hours nag-reply siya at gusto niya akong makausap sa GMeet. After niyan nag-email din na i-send ko raw portfolio ko.
Btw before ako mag-reply, nag-search muna ako kung sino yung taong yun. Wala akong makitang photo niya pero yung name niya is connected sa company name and active yung registration niya. Feel ko wala pa sa 10 employees ng company.
So ayun, sinend ko portfolio ko kahit na aware akong hindi ko talaga forte yung line of work nila lol. Like very rare kong gawin so hindi talaga ako 'hasa' doon kasi I believe it's the job of other professional, yung mas may alam. I can do it pero 'meh' haha.
Yung call very straightforward. Tell me about yourself, X/hr yung salary na kaya kong ibigay pero tataas pa as we go on, may task akong X and Y at isesend ko sa email. Then end na. I would say medyo natagalan akong gawin yung task mga more than 4hrs I think kasi (1) old na yung laptop ko at (2) 2yrs ko na hindi ginamit yung software na meron sa laptop ko. Ginawa ko pa rin yung makakaya ko. If you're wondering, wala ako sa OLJ for that kind of job or any job na related. Nag-apply lang ako sa jobs na alam kong kayang i-handle ng laptop ko kasi minsan may lumalabas 'flicker' kineme yung screen.
Sinend ko sa kanya after ko gawin. Hindi raw yun yung gusto ni client. Na-shock ako akala ko task lang yun to test my skill kung fit ba ako sa company niya pero for presentation pala. So need ko i-redo yung work kasi may specific requirements naman pala na hindi niya binanggit nung una. Haynako.
Knowing na ang bilis ng pangyayari, hindi ko sure kung itutuloy ko ba or hindi. Wala naman akong problema kung may task pero hindi kasi nasabi na for client pala at wala pa naman contract. Baka i-ghost ako after. How should I deal with this?
I started as a VA/Web Developer back in 2019 gamit lang second hand Macbook air habang nagrerent. Slowly nakaipon, nakapag travel, at gumaan ang buhay.
This 2026, I decided to take a bigger risk and apply abroad because I felt stuck na rin sa pinas and wanted a better quality of life. Hindi naging madali yung visa process dahil kulang ako sa proper documents, but God made a way.
Sa mga nangangarap ng bigger opportunities someday, possible siya. ❤️
Medyo naiinis na ako lately sa mga tao na biglang lalapit tapos ang unang tanong is “anong work mo?” then sunod agad “pwede pa-refer?” or “ipasok mo naman ako jan.”
Parang ang dali lang para sa kanila, pero hindi nila nakikita na may proseso yun at hindi rin naman basta-basta na pwede mo lang isingit kahit sino.
May iba pa na sobrang personal na magtanong like ano exactly ginagawa ko, anong niche, and minsan pati magkano sahod. Hindi naman ako uncomfortable mag-share minsan, pero yung tone kasi parang entitled or expected na sagutin mo lahat.
For me okay lang magtanong, pero sana may respeto din at hindi parang obligation ko i-share or i-refer agad.
How do you usually handle this kind of people without sounding rude?
I am 24 years old and part po ako ng Recruitment. I just wanna rant coz I’ve been unemployed for several months na and until now, nganga pa rin. Medyo nagsisisi tuloy ako na nag-resign ako without back-up plans knowing na 1 year and 4 months lang ang experience ko as Recruiter which I know is not solid enough.
I try to send 10-15 applications per day and yet wala halos paramdam. Last week, super saya ko kasi ang productive ng week ko na ‘yon since I had 10 interviews from different companies tapos para akong binihusan ng malamig na tubig kasi sunod sunod na yung rejection emails.
Nakaka-demoralized and nakakababa talaga ng self-worth. I remember pa nung nag-resign ako, I thought I can land better opportunity with better pay pero as you go along, i-lolowball mo yung sarili mo and you will try to settle sa same or mas mababang offer kasi you feel ba wala ka ng choice and you just need to take it kesa walang work.
Despite that, I still try to move forward. I try to seek positivity despite these setbacks. Pero ang hirap huhu If meron lang akong maraming backers or referrals from other people, I think mas madali huhuhu
Thoughts nyo po dito? Nakakatakot yung ganitong client. May nakaranas na po ba sa inyo ng ganito? Ano po advice nyo sa mga nagsisimula pa lang? (Like me)
Pinost pa ng client yung mga OLJ profile, resume, screenshots ng convo pati full name.any tips tin po sa mga gusto magmoonlight?
Hi all,
Cybersecurity piqued my interest lately. Im a law graduate 33 years old and I really wanted to transition to GRC side I just dont know how. I dont have a roadmap and Im afraid to start over again coz it would mean I would have to earn not that much again. Any tips for me please.
