The Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines reported that 21 Filipino citizens who were deceived into engaging in online fraud in Myanmar have successfully returned to the country. These victims had experienced forced labor, violent abuse, and long-term surveillance in the scam parks, with some even being threatened with electric shocks for not meeting performance targets, making their experiences horrifying.
According to Joel Anthony Viduya, the director of the immigration bureau, these individuals were initially recruited through social media, misled by the promise of high-paying customer service jobs in Thailand, but were transferred to Myanmar and fell into the hands of online fraud groups. The scam parks operated under strict closed management, forcing victims to work 14 to 16 hours a day without pay or days off.
A female victim mentioned that her "job" involved impersonating a woman to date victims and carry out "pig-butchering" scams, primarily targeting American users. Meanwhile, a male victim complained that he was beaten and electrocuted for not achieving his targets, living daily under threats and fear.
Two of the victims had exited the country through third-country labor arrangements, while the rest left as tourists. This case once again exposes the still-active illegal intermediary model of "tourist visa exit, transfer to another country."
Currently, these 21 individuals have been handed over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) of the Philippines, and relevant departments are conducting in-depth investigations, planning to initiate criminal proceedings against the behind-the-scenes human trafficking groups and their accomplices. Viduya emphasized that the immigration bureau will continue to crack down on cross-border human trafficking, reminding the public to be wary of overseas high-paying job temptations and not to fall into scam traps.
