By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has intercepted five victims before they could board their flight bound for Hong Kong at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, Pasay City.
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the victims –four males and one female– were supposedly recruited via social media to work at scam hubs abroad operating in the guise of online gambling or call centers in Cambodia.
A report by the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) said the individuals initially presented themselves as tourists bound for Hong Kong aboard a Cebu Pacific flight at NAIA on Feb. 15.
They all claimed to be working in popular restaurants or establishments in the Philippines, and entered the immigration area in two separate groups, pretending they did not know each other.
However, officers found suspicious documents and referred them for further inspection.
Upon secondary interview, the passengers admitted that after arriving in Hong Kong, they were told that they would transfer to a flight to Cambodia, where they would be employed by a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.
One of the victims admitted that he did not know that they were recruited for scam hubs, and had no idea what cryptocurrency is.
Another victim said he was compelled to agree to the scheme to be able to support his sick family member.
All of them also admitted to have been offered PHP30,000 to PHP50,000 as monthly salary, with free board and lodging.
On the other hand, the BI chief reiterated his call to the public especially those who are seeking to be employed abroad not to fall prey to scam hubs that operate in various Asian countries that recruit unsuspecting Filipinos for supposed call center jobs.
“We urge Filipinos to thoroughly verify overseas job offers, especially those that promise unusually high salaries. Many of these so-called customer service roles are actually covers for large-scale scam networks that take advantage of unsuspecting workers,” Viado added. (PNA)
