First of all with all that being said, do not under any circumstances give her any money and limit your personal contact with her going forward and be very careful what personal information you divulge about yourself, your family or your personal finances. Sob stories are a dime a dozen and a lot of good people, even some very well educated and quite intelligent but well intentioned people occasionally fall victims to scams. And word to the wise; on-line "friendships" with foreign born women via social media sites; Facebook and dating sites are almost always: 99.999999% of the time, are a scam. Better to be safe rather than sorry.
But” if” her story is true, whether she is here legally or not, whether her work visa is expired or not is not really the question IMO. No one should be forced to forgo the wages they are legally entitled to or be kept in servitude against their will. No one should be forced to give up their passport to a private party or to an employer. Unfortunately it does happen and even here in the US and more often than we’d like to think, although it is usually Middle Eastern and Indian folks living here thinking that their caste systems and slavery practices come over with them. So with that being said, I wouldn’t necessarily pass this off as being impossible.
If you think that she is in any immediate physical danger, I would contact the Baltimore police. But I doubt that is the case.
The DOL can get involved in a wage dispute, i.e. if she is entitled to OT or a complaint about not receiving her wages, having them withheld from her, but I don’t think you can do that on her behalf, she’d have to file a complaint herself. You could give her the information on how to file a complaint with the DOL herself. But that is a long legal process and does not necessarily address her immediate concerns if there are any. Filing such a complaint could result in retribution or even in her sudden disappearance “if” that is really her situation. But if she’s just pissed that she’s not being paid according to law and not being kept as a slave, the DOL would be her best recourse.
There are also some good resources to be found here that addresses this type of situation you describe if true, that you could pass along to her but let her, in fact be very firm to tell her that she must follow through on her own, that you can’t and won’t do it for her:
http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/reports/trafficking.htm
If she is really in a situation of being a victim of human trafficking, you “might” make a call to the Justice Department’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and ask them some question as to what you can do or what you shouldn’t do in this situation. Or even better yet, pass this information on to her and as above, tell her that she has to follow through herself, that you will not do it for her.
http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/crm/htpu.php
But if you do contact them yourself, tell them what you know or suspect; and honestly tell them under what circumstances you came to know her and including if she ever asked you for money, what she told you but also be very clear to tell them that you don’t know her all that well, that you have a very limited passing knowledge of her and of her situation and that you have no direct proof other than what she has told you, that you are not even sure whether it is true or not and let them investigate.
She could also contact the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington DC. From Baltimore to DC that is only a short train ride away. I wouldn’t give her cash but if you really wanted to, although I wouldn’t recommend it, you could purchase her a train ticket to go there and let her do the rest. If she really wants out of this situation she will, if she doesn’t, then it’s likely that she’s probably scamming you.
I absolutely get those who are cautioning you and advising you to just walk away. But on the other hand, while I am a very cynical person and highly suspect of most people’s motives, I am also not sure that I could sleep at night if I turned a blind eye to someone who was legitimately in need of help. But at the end of the day you have to look inside yourself absent any emotions, and following your first and gut instincts; if that little voice inside your head tells you this doesn’t smell right; then listen to it.
But helping someone in this situation doesn’t mean you should get in any more deeply involved than you already are or set yourself up. Do what you can, but also don’t take this on as your sole personal responsibility.