IMMIGRATION officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently foiled an attempt to smuggle three persons to work in scam hubs in Cambodia.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony said a woman identified only as one alias “Rosa,” who was traveling with her 4-year-old son, and a 23-year-old female were intercepted on August 26 after they pretended to be traveling separately from two other individuals, a male (24 year-old) and a female (27 year-old).
Rosa, her son and their female companion told immigration agents they were going to Kuala Lumpur for a five-day vacation.
On questioning, Viado said “the three victims admitted to be actually traveling to Cambodia where they have been recruited as customer service representatives. They admitted having found the job offer online, with their travel having been facilitated by alias ‘Rosa.”
The BI chief said the incident is another case of the “bitbit” scheme, where seemingly legitimate travelers accompany trafficking victims to facilitate their departure from the Philippines.
“What is disheartening about this case is that the woman even used her 4-year-old son to make the travel seem legitimate,” Viado said.
In a related development, seven more Filipinos were repatriated to Manila Sunday after they were rescued in scam hubs in Cambodia.
Viado said the seven arrived on board a Philippine Airlines flight from Phnom Penh on August 31.
The workers include four males and three females, all in their late 20s to early 40s.
“As in previous cases, they were all recruited online, and left as regular tourists. Three of them even left together, pretending to be friends on vacation,” he said.
He said the seven recounted how they were forced to work as scammers, together with African, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani workers.
“The scam hub reportedly targeted Americans and Fil-Ams, and they were physically abused if they weren’t able to reach their quota,” Viado said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs last month raised the alarm on Filipinos still trapped in scam hubs across Southeast Asia.
