The Bureau of Immigration yesterday said it intercepted last 18 May four human trafficking victims at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

The four, including three females, had fallen victim to an unlawful recruitment scam, according to information received by the BI from an anonymous source.

Based on the tip, the four had been deceived and recruited under false pretenses to work in Cambodia’s online casino industry.

The bureau said that the passengers initially claimed to be employed in the country and were traveling abroad for vacation.

However, during the secondary inspection, they confessed that they had been recruited as telemarketers for an online gaming company, enticed with a promised monthly salary of 800 US dollars.

In accordance with anti-trafficking rules, the BI kept the identities of the four victims a secret. They were immediately turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking so that they could help with the legal proceedings against the recruiters.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco expressed deep concern and issued warning to professionals, urging them to exercise caution and vigilance against falling prey to deceptive recruitment schemes.

In order to verify the legitimacy of job offers and protect one’s own interests, Tansingco said: “Beware of schemes that promise legitimate call center jobs but ultimately lead individuals into engaging in criminal activities abroad.”

The BI chief then reminded all aspiring overseas workers to only seek employment abroad through the Department of Migrant Workers to ensure their protection from traffickers.

The Philippines is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking.

According to the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report by the US State Department, the Philippines is a Tier 1 country, which means that the government fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

However, human trafficking has remained a serious concern.

In 2022, the Philippine government identified 1,802 trafficking victims, including 535 victims of sex trafficking and 501 victims of forced labor.

The majority of trafficking victims in the Philippines are women and girls, and they are often trafficked for sex work or forced labor in the agriculture, manufacturing, and domestic service sectors.

The government has said it has taken steps to combat human trafficking, including passing legislation to strengthen the anti-trafficking law, increasing funding for anti-trafficking programs, and training law enforcement and other officials on how to identify and respond to trafficking cases.