THE Bureau of Immigration has warned the public not to fall victim to cryptocurrency scam syndicates that are using social media platforms such as Tiktok to lure Filipinos to work overseas.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued the warning after conducting an investigation on the eight repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Cambodia. The victims, whose ages range from early 20s to late 30s, comprised six males and two females.
They arrived early morning of February 26 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, on board a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Phnom Penh.
The victims were all promised salaries of as much as 1000 USD per month, and were forced to work for 16-18 hours a day without day off.
“The trafficking landscape is very different now. Professionals are being lured into seemingly good-paying opportunities, only to end up being trafficked in this crypto scam,” Tansingco lamented.
The eight OFWs told investigators they were recruited by the syndicates after coming across advertisements on messaging and social media platforms Telegram, Facebook, and Tiktok.
Three of the victims were brought out of the country via Zamboanga, and did not pass through formal ports, according to the BI. On the other hand, three of the victims departed via Clark, while two departed via NAIA.
The three who departed via Zamboanga recounted that they traveled for seven days to reach their destination.
After going from Cebu to Zamboanga, they travelled to Jolo, Brunei, Jakarta, and Thailand before reaching Cambodia.
The two who left via NAIA on the other hand, presented themselves as tourists.
One presented herself as an officer in a local company, while one of them traveled from Bangkok to Cambodia with his girlfriend.
They claimed to be on vacation, but both ended up as workers in the scamming syndicate.
The girlfriend was reportedly able to return early due to the demise of a family member, but her boyfriend was threatened that he would be made to pay for breach of contract.
The victims were rescued from their company through the help of the Philippine Embassy and Senator Risa Hontiveros.
Earlier, the BI managed to prevent six suspected victims of a crypto trafficking syndicate from leaving the country.
Three of the victims were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 last January 20, after attempting to fly out via an Air Asia flight to Bangkok.
Last January 31, officers at the Clark International Airport intercepted three male victims who attempted to fly to Thailand via a Scoot airlines flight.
They admitted that they were recruited to work as encoders and e-games staff and were offered a salary of US$1000 by an agent they only met through a social messaging application.
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