The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported the repatriation of three more victims of a trafficking syndicate in Myanmar.
In a report to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, members of the travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) said that three victims, all in their 20s and early 30s, arrived from Myanmar last June 15 on board a Singapore airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The 3 victims all departed last April 2023 in the guise of being tourists bound for Singapore.
However, they admitted that they were recruited online to work in a call center in Thailand, only to find out that they were being transferred to Yangon, Myanmar to work in a pseudo-call center involved in scamming.
“One of the victims was even an online influencer, with more than 10 thousand subscribers,” said Tansingco.
Tansingco again reiterated his warning to aspiring overseas workers not to agree to work abroad by departing as tourists.
“Huwag matigas ang ulo, napaka-rami nang nabiktima, paulit-ulit na ang mga nangyayari sa kanila,” said Tansingco. “Leaving as tourists makes you more vulnerable, and we have received reports of victims being physically abused by these traffickers. If you wish to work abroad, do so legally, through the Department of Migrant Workers,” he added.
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The three victims were assisted by the NAIA Task Force against Trafficking, the National Bureau of Investigation, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Migrant Workers.
Earlier, BI, in collaboration with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), has again raised concerns about human trafficking.
The efforts align with the recent notice issued by INTERPOL, highlighting the escalating threat posed by large-scale human trafficking, where victims are duped into committing crimes within pseudo-call centers.
As early as last year, Philippine immigration authorities have closely monitored this modus, which INTERPOL says have transformed from a regional crime phenomenon to a global threat.
The INTERPOL notice describes the scheme as double-edged in nature, as it victimizes both the trafficked individuals, and a second set of victims targeted by online fraud. The trafficked victims endure forced labor, extortion, physical and sexual exploitation, and even organ harvesting.
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