The Bureau of Immigration (BI) advises the public to be vigilant against scammers and illegal recruiters who prey on Filipinos looking for overseas jobs. The Bi issued the advisory following the arrest of three fake government employees and a Russia-bound passenger with fake documents, and the repatriation of three scam victims from Thailand.
BI officers at the Clark International Airport (CIA) intercepted the three Filipino women who attempted to leave the country allegedly using fake government company identification cards, leave forms, and travel authority.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingso said the three were intercepted while waiting to board a Scoot Airlines flight to Singapore.
According to Tansingco, the passengers presented dubious documents claiming that they work as administrative aide, agriculturist and bookkeeper in a municipality in Luzon.
“The secondary inspector initially noticed that their travel documents appeared dubious. When asked about basic questions pertinent to their jobs as government employees, the passengers could not answer,” he added.
Tansingco said the passengers admitted that their purpose of travel was to seek employment in Singapore and Dubai as tourists.
He likewise recounted the experience of two Filipinas who were repatriated from Thailand after being physically abused and sexually assaulted overseas.
According to Tansingco, the victims left the country in the last quarter of 2022 and arrived in Thailand in hopes of gaining employment as customer service representatives.
“One of them worked as a love scammer who sent nude photos of other women online. Eventually, they were transported to work in online casinos and online betting hubs where they received no proper food and compensation from their employers,” Tansingco said.
It was discovered that the victims learned about the job on a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 deferred the departure of a first-time passenger bound for Russia but was holding overseas employment documents as a Balik Manggagawa.
“The victim was in contact with a certain Rose whom she met on Facebook and to whom she paid a total of P 215,000,” he added.