THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said crypto currency trafficking syndicates operating in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have victimized hundreds of Filipino workers.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega said the number range from 50 to 100 workers in each of the three countries.
De Vega made the statement after eight Filipinos from Myanmar who were victimized by crypto trafficking syndicates were repatriated by the DFA on Monday.
“I would say there are as many as 50 to 100 victims in each of these countries in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia,” De Vega told ABS-CBN News Channel Tuesday when asked how many Filipino workers have been tricked by the syndicates.
De Vega also told the “Laging Handa” public briefing that more rescue operations are in the offing in Myanmar in cooperation with local authorities.
He said despite the ongoing political turmoil in Myanmar generated by the military’s move to oust the civilian-led government in February 2021, local authorities are fully cooperating with the DFA and the country’s embassy in Nay Pyi Taw to stamp out the scheme.
De Vega said a team from the DFA head office in Manila arrived in Myanmar last week to coordinate the rescue and repatriation of Filipino victims.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said crypto currency scammers trafficking Filipinos to work in other countries seem to be targeting professionals.
He made the statement as he ordered the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) Travel Control and Enforcement (TCEU) to look into the records of the eight repatriated Filipinos from Myanmar.
Tansingco said four of the workers were recruited online in Dubai to supposedly work in Bangkok, Thailand, but were later transported to Myanmar.
Citing immigration records, he said one of the four males left the country for Dubai as a registered OFW last 2019, while the three others previously left as tourists in 2016, 2019, and 2021 to visit immediate family members but have not returned since.
On the other hand, two of the female victims had previous short-term travels, with one even traveling with her husband.
The other two females were able to depart after having established personal capacity and local employment.
“This is a new form of trafficking that targets young, urban professionals who have the capacity to travel abroad. These highly educated professionals would not even think that they would be vulnerable and be trafficked, as they are merely exploring opportunities that they may have encountered online,” Tansingco said.
“Professionals are now being lured by promises of good salaries and other incentives, only to be embroiled in this scam,” he added.
The BI chief said they are coordinating with their counterparts in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia to stamp out the operation of the syndicates.
