BI nabs 4 Pinoys with fake stamps

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Tuesday that four alleged human trafficking victims were apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 last 31 August while attempting to leave the country with fake departure stamps.

Initial reports disclosed that a 40-year-old man was intercepted aboard a Cathay Pacific flight bound for Hong Kong, presenting a passport with a suspicious exit stamp.

He admitted being recruited on Facebook to work abroad and paying a P120,000 processing fee.

Later that evening, three more suspected victims — a 32-year-old woman, a 27-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man — were prevented from boarding a Jetstar flight to Singapore due to suspicious-looking stamps on their passports.

They initially claimed to be friends going on vacation to Cambodia but were later discovered to have been hired as call center agents.

The BI suspected that the victims were recruited to work at overseas scam hubs posing as contact centers and according to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, recruiters often instruct victims to meet at a fast-food restaurant within NAIA Terminal 3 with a supposed contact.

He added that the contact would typically take the victims’ passports and boarding passes and return them with forged stamps.

Tansingco raised alarm over the recent interceptions, indicating that these illegal syndicates are again selling fake documents around the airport and warned that these syndicates offer false promises of better opportunities but engage in exploitative practices that can lead to serious consequences.

All four victims have been turned over to the Interagency Council Against Trafficking and an investigation is ongoing to arrest and charge their recruiters.