Three Vietnamese teens have been intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for presenting German passports, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday, Aug. 1.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the first case involved a 17-year-old male who attempted to leave the country last July 23 using a fraudulently-acquired German passport which was obtained from a website based in Europe that sells fraudulent travel documents.

“It was surprising to hear how easy it was for him to acquire the passport online,” Tansingco said.

During the interview, Tansingco said the boy told immigration officers at NAIA "of his true identity and showed his Vietnamese passport that was wrapped in a foil and hidden inside his bag.”

 “He admitted that he intended to use the German passport to gain entry to Canada," the BI said in a statement. 

It said the Vietnamese boy has been placed under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Earlier, Tansingco said two Vietnamese girls 15 and 17 years old arrived at NAIA from Vietnam using stolen German passports.

"They were detected as both German passports prompted a hit in the BI’s Interpol derogatory check system indicating that their travel documents were reported as lost or stolen,” he said. 

Both girls, who later presented their Vietnamese passports,  were denied entry and placed in the BI's blacklist

“This seems to be another scheme illegal migrants use to be able to secure work abroad,” Tansingco said. 

Thus, he directed immigration officers at all ports "to be on alert aganst this emerging modus."