The Bureau of Immigration (BI) alerted the public on Sunday about “catphishing” syndicates enticing Filipinos to labor illegally overseas.

The Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Unit reported to BI acting commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado that three victims were barred from leaving the country at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on 21 September.

The three victims, a 28-year-old male and two female victims aged 24 and 27, were initially suspected of being vacationing travelers visiting Thailand. Two of the victims claimed to be a couple, while the other claimed to be a coworker.

However, during secondary inspection, BI officers noticed inconsistencies in their documentation and a fictitious return flight ticket, indicating that they had no intention of actually leaving the country.

The victims eventually admitted that they were recruited via Facebook Messenger to work as customer service representatives in Cambodia for a salary of more than P50,000. The documents they presented were given by their recruiter, who instructed them to pretend to be traveling companions.

In a statement, the BI believes that the three victims were hired to work for a catphishing organization in Cambodia that was disguising itself as legitimate call center agents.

“This is not the first time the BI has issued a warning against this syndicate, which enlists Filipinos and coerces them to engage in illicit activities,” Viado said.

The criminal syndicate traps Filipino victims by forcing them to work as scammers to entice Western victims, attracted to bogus cryptocurrency accounts through dating sites, to invest in them.

Viado expressed regret that many people continue to fall for such scams, which promise high salaries and attractive incentives.

All three victims have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation and to initiate legal action against their recruiter.