The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday warned the public against the alarming increase of counterfeit documents involving individuals that intend to travel overseas.

In a press release, BI said its personnel had encountered a series of tampered document cases at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in recent weeks.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco disclosed that the majority of cases involve Filipinos aspiring to work overseas, victimized and recruited through social media by human trafficking syndicates.

"These transnational crimes are becoming more and more alarming, and I call on everyone to remain vigilant,” he added.

On May 21, a male passenger, who claimed to be a tourist bound for Bangkok, was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 3 after authorities discovered that his Malta Visa had a “cancel” word written on it.

Meanwhile, two females, who attempted to travel to Dubai, were caught presenting counterfeit re-entry visas at the NAIA Terminal 1.

One of them disclosed that they met the recruiter, who provided them with the forged pre-departure documents, via Facebook.

The BI also intercepted two female passengers bound for Poland at NAIA Terminal 1 on May 23. They were caught presenting counterfeit overseas employment certificates (OEC) which they said they paid ₱500 for.

Written By Ailah Francisco, DZRH News Online Intern