The Bureau of Immigration (BI) advised the public against cryptocurrency scammers in social media who victimize Filipinos who seek jobs overseas.
According to Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco, recruitment activities of human trafficking syndicates already proliferated in social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, and Telegram.
The information was acquired after they interviewed eight overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Cambodia who arrived on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2.
Two of them departed at the NAIA as tourists, while the three at Clark International Airport in Pampanga.
These OFWs were rescued by Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh and the office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
“Three of the victims were spirited out of the country via Zamboanga and did not pass through formal ports. Three departed via Clark, while two departed via NAIA,” Tansingco said.
Filipino workers were lured to have good-paying jobs but were forced to work as online scammers.
“The victims were promised salaries of as much as $1,000 per month. They were forced to work for up to 18 hours per day without a day off,” he added.
The BI plans to coordinate with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia to end the syndicate operations.
