BUREAU of Immigration agents have intercepted four suspected human trafficking victims and their escort prior to departure for Singapore via a Cebu Pacific flight on Christmas day at the Clark international airport (CIA).
BI protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) chief Mary Jane Hizon said the four victims, all in their 20s, initially claimed to be traveling alone for tourism purposes.
However, after verification by immigration personnel, they later admitted to be traveling together with a 38-year-old female escort.
The victims confessed they were actually bound for Cambodia to work as encoders in a POGO-like company after being recruited by an Indonesian woman. Their escort also admitted that she was instructed by the recruiter to assist the victims in entering Singapore and eventually crossing over to Cambodia.
The victims said they were offered P60,000-salary to work illegally abroad.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said that victims of syndicates that illegally recruit Filipinos to work in call centers abroad usually end up in scam hubs as catfishers.
Viado explained that catfishing or catphishing is a type of online scam wherein the scammers create fake identities and fabricate relationships with their victims who are later cajoled into sending money or investing in fake accounts.
Apart from the Christmas interception, the BI also interdicted numerous cases of suspected recruitment for scam and catfishing operations overseas..
“We’ve seen so many victims who have been forced to work as scammers abroad,” said Viado. “Do not let this happen to you, do not allow yourself to be duped into agreeing to the terms set by these syndicates,” he warned.
All the victims, as well as their facilitator, have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and filing of appropriate criminal cases against their recruiters.
