THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday urged Filipinos seeking work abroad to be extra vigilant to avoid falling into the hands of syndicates in Asia.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco warned that human trafficking has become rampant in some Asian countries and Filipinos have fallen victims to syndicates who are behind some online scams.
“These transnational crimes are becoming more and more alarming, and I call on everyone to remain vigilant,” the BI chief said.
Tansingco cited the case of six Filipinos who were recruited to work as chat support agents in Thailand. From Thailand, they were taken to Laos where they were forced to work for syndicates.
They served as “love scammers” targeting Asians. The scheme was to look for clients who they could dupe into falling in love with them, then encourage them to invest in their pseudo company.
The victims said they were sold three times from one company to another before they managed to reach out to the Philippine Embassy.
They were repatriated back to the country last April 6.
Earlier, a Filipino worker paid a “ransom” for her release after she was scammed to work for an online company in Myanmar.
The Filipina was recruited via Facebook and was promised a salary of $1,000 as a customer service representative in Thailand.
After her arrival in Thailand, she was fetched by a private car and taken to Myanmar.
The victim said that she worked as a marketing scammer targeting Indians. She was made to work for almost 16 hours a day without compensation.
For her release, the Filipina was compelled to find three other Filipinos as her replacement.
The victim contacted a friend in the Philippines who provided fake flight itineraries that would look like four people were coming to Thailand to replace her.
After her employers destroyed evidence in her mobile phone, the Filipina was escorted back to Thailand where she sought help from the Philippine Embassy.
“Our fellow Filipinos have been enslaved abroad without proper food and compensation. Some have even been physically abused and sexually assaulted,” he said. “This is a global problem. We call on everybody to be alert. Do not fall prey to these scammers,” Tansingco said.
Earlier, the BI intercepted five Filipinos who were possible victims of human trafficking as they attempted to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore at the Davao International airport last April 4.
It was found out that the passengers were bound for Dubai.
“It is very important that their employers be verified with the Department of Migrant Workers, as this reduces their risk of being trafficked abroad,” Tansingco said.
