BI cracks whip vs cyber traffickers

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) disclosed on Monday that its operatives apprehended a suspected cyber trafficker who allegedly targets vulnerable Filipino jobseekers online, leading to the rescue of two women at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In a report to BI commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado, the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) revealed that two women, identified as Annie and Aiza, both in their mid-thirties, were intercepted at NAIA Terminal 3 last 25 April.

According to I-PROBES, the two initially claimed to be traveling to Hong Kong for a short vacation. However, inconsistencies in their statements during primary inspection prompted a secondary inspection.

During the secondary inspection, the women admitted their actual destination was Bahrain, where they had been recruited as factory workers with a promised monthly salary of 130 Bahraini dinars, or approximately P19,000.

Further investigation revealed that an online recruiter provided them with two envelopes. One contained standard travel documents for Hong Kong, while the other held a visa application and airline ticket to Bahrain, presented as legitimate overseas employment.

The two women were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for legal action against their recruiters and to receive assistance.

“This case also revealed that the same recruiter was the mastermind behind another group that was allegedly scheduled to depart the country for Thailand on 29 April,” Viado said.

“Over twenty people who are allegedly recruited for this scheme are currently being monitored. IACAT has been notified of this information, and we are totally dedicated to breaking up this trafficking organization,” he added.

The BI said the trafficker allegedly deceived recruits by promising valid overseas Filipino workers procedures but instructed them to pose as tourists to avoid immigration scrutiny.

Viado stressed that this case highlights the government’s intensified efforts to combat trafficking, in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for inter-agency coordination in anti-trafficking operations.