A FILIPINO male victim of an illegal recruitment syndicate was intercepted yesterday by operatives of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Immigration authorities stopped the victim, whose identity was withheld, from boarding his Cebu Pacific flight to Hanoi, Vietnam after he gave inconsistent responses to questions related to his travel destination and purpose, according to BI Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section Chief Mary Jane Hizon.
Hizon said that the passenger initially said he was a tourist bound for Vietnam. “The traveler claimed that his trip was on the spot or spontaneous. However, his inconsistent responses during primary questioning raised suspicions, prompting his referral for secondary inspection,” she said.
During the second interview, the passenger supposedly admitted that he was traveling to Hanoi en route to Cambodia where he was supposed to work in an alleged business process outsourcing (BPO) firm. He claimed he was duped into accepting the job after he was offered a lucrative salary.
The victim claimed he was recruited via Facebook. The recruiter purportedly sent all his travel documents via the Telegram communication app and instructed him to transit through Vietnam before proceeding to Cambodia.
Hizon said recruitment via social media is a classic modus of syndicates in luring Filipinos to work abroad.
“This so-called BPOs are often fronts for scam hubs engaging in illicit activities such as catfishing, where individuals are forced to deceive victims online for financial gains,” she said.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, in a brief statement, warned the public to beware of such modus.
Viado advised Filipinos who want to work abroad to go through the proper channels to ensure that they are not victimized by illegal recruiters.
“We urge everyone to verify the legitimacy of recruiters and job offers through the Department of Migrant Workers. Walang maloloko kung walang magpapaloko (You cannot be fooled if you do not want to be fooled),” he added. – With Osias Osorio