Six Filipino individuals from Laos who were trafficked by syndicates and forced to engage in illegal work returned home on Thursday, April 6, after fleeing from their employers, according to the Bureau of Immigration.
The victims, who were originally recruited to work as chat support agents in Thailand, were later taken to Laos where they were coerced into working for criminal groups.
"The victims, who left the country on separate occasions were recruited to supposedly work as chat support agents in Thailand. From Thailand, they were instead brought to Laos where they [were] forced to work for syndicates," BI said.
The incident is one of several reported human trafficking cases in Southeast Asian nations in recent months.
The trafficking victims were also subjected to a love scam, where they were encouraged to invest in a fake company after being duped into falling in love with the perpetrators.
They were sold three times to different companies before they were able to contact the Philippine Embassy for help through online communication.
