The Bureau of Immigration (BI) of the Philippines recently disclosed that in the past week, they successfully intercepted 14 Filipinos suspected of being trafficked by scam syndicates attempting to work illegally overseas. The bureau expressed shock at the surge in such cases and pledged to strengthen entry and exit inspections to prevent more nationals from falling into the traps of criminal groups.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco revealed that the first interception occurred on February 4, when three passengers aged 33, 25, and 27 attempted to board a Philippine Airlines flight from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 to Thailand, but were stopped by immigration officers due to suspicious behavior. Initially, these three claimed they were traveling to Thailand for the first time at their own expense, but contradictions in their statements during questioning raised suspicions among the immigration officers. After further investigation, they finally admitted that their actual purpose was to be employed in Cambodia at a "Business Process Outsourcing" (BPO) company as "customer service representatives," which was likely a cover for telecommunications fraud.
Following this, on February 5, the BI intercepted another 11 passengers in their twenties, also attempting to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Thailand. During questioning, their statements were contradictory. Further investigation revealed that these victims were lured by the scam syndicate with high salaries of 50,000 pesos per month and planned to send them to Pakistan for illegal work.
The BI stated that these victims were instructed to pose as students traveling to Thailand for tourism and to conceal their Pakistani visas to evade scrutiny.
The 14 intercepted victims have now been turned over to the Philippine Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), and legal actions will be taken against the recruiters involved in this case.
Commissioner Tansingco warned that human trafficking groups are exploiting the Filipino people's eagerness to find overseas employment opportunities, leading them into highly dangerous environments where they become victims of telecommunications fraud syndicates or illegal industries, and even depriving them of the chance to escape.
He urged all Filipinos to be vigilant when accepting overseas job offers and to seek employment opportunities through legal channels to avoid becoming targets of transnational criminal groups.
