The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Sunday that a 35-year-old Filipino male passenger was intercepted by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

This comes as officer had suspected he had been deceived into working for a scam hub in Cambodia.

According to the report of Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) chief Mary Jane Hizon, they intercepted a male passenger on 8 January at the NAIA Terminal 3 after he attempted to depart the country via a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Hanoi, Vietnam by presenting himself as a tourist.

Hizon said the traveler claimed his trip was ‘on-the-spot’ or spontaneous, but inconsistent responses during primary questioning raised suspicions, prompting his referral for secondary inspection.

During the secondary interview, the passenger revealed his real destination was Cambodia and disclosed that he was recruited on Facebook and promised a job at a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.

The recruiter allegedly instructed him to pass through Vietnam before traveling on to Cambodia and sent all of his travel documents via the Telegram app.

Hizon stressed that this is a typical tactic used by criminal syndicates.

“These so-called BPOs are frequently fronts for scam hubs that engage in illegal activities like catphishing, where people are coerced into deceiving victims online in order to obtain money,” Hizon said.

Meantime, BI commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado warned the public to be on alert for online syndicates and illicit recruiters.

Viado disclosed that scam syndicates have been taking advantage of innocent Filipinos by luring them with foreign offers of high salaries. He encouraged all individuals to confirm the authenticity of recruiters and employment offers with the Department of Migrant Workers.