AFTER several reports of scammers and illegal recruiters who prey on Filipinos looking for work abroad, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) issued another warning to the public.

The BI issued the alert following the interception of three “fake” government employees and a Russia-bound passenger with counterfeit documents and the repatriation of three scam victims from Thailand.

BI officers at the Clark International Airport (CIA) intercepted on March 14 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 on Wednesday that the passengers were intercepted awaiting a Scoot Airlines flight to Singapore.

According to Tansingco, the passengers presented 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 further shared that the passengers later confessed verbally and in writing that their purpose of travel was to seek employment in Singapore and Dubai as tourists.

“The passengers went to great lengths to evade immigration protocols. We understand the need to look for greener pastures abroad, but there is a legal and low-risk way to do it,” said Tansingco. “We kindly remind the public that the set of requirements we impose is in place to ensure our safety even when we are overseas,” he added.

Tansingco then recounted the experience of two Filipinas who were repatriated from Thailand on Tuesday after experiencing physical abuse and sexual assault 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,” said Tansingco.

It was discovered that the victims learned about the job in 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” last March 27.

“Upon seeing irregularities in the documents, the secondary inspector found out that the victim’s overseas employment certificate has no record with Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and that her contract was not verified by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Russia or by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW),” disclosed Tansingco.

According to Tansingco, the victim was in contact with a certain “Rose” whom she met on Facebook and to whom she paid a total of P215,000.

The passenger then admitted that she has no personal knowledge of the appropriate documents and processes that she has to undergo to depart as an OFW (overseas Filipino worker).

The victim was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.

Tansingco then expressed his dismay towards the incidents. “I could not fathom how these scammers could deceive their fellow Filipinos like this,” said Tansingco. “These illegal recruiters are a threat to our safety and security,” he added.

The BI Chief further reminded the public of the dangers of trusting people online and offline. “We could see that as the world goes digital, human trafficking patterns have shifted as well,” said Tansingco. “The bureau always strives to bridge the information gap between aspiring OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) and the government, but we urge the public to be vigilant. Human trafficking is real, and it is happening now,” added Tansingco. BY JUN I. LEGASPI & HECTOR LAWAS