The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday, Jan. 12, warned Filipinos against accepting immediately job offers abroad through social media.
“Scam syndicates have been preying on unsuspecting Filipinos, enticing them with lucrative offers abroad,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado in a statement.
“We urge everyone to verify the legitimacy of recruiters and job offers through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW),” he advised.
Viado issued the warning after a 35-year-old Filipino was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 last Jan. 8 and prevented from leaving the country.
Citing a report from the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) Chief Mary Jane Hizon, the BI said the Filipino, whose identity has been withheld, initially claimed to be a tourist travelling to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Due to his inconsistent responses, immigration officers referred him for secondary inspection. The BI said the Filipino admitted that he had been recruited via Facebook and lured with promises of employment at a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.
It also said the Filipino disclosed that the recruiter reportedly sent all travel documents through the Telegram app and instructed him to transit through Vietnam before proceeding to Cambodia.
“These so-called BPOs are often fronts for scam hubs engaging in illicit activities such as catphishing, where individuals are forced to deceive victims online for financial gain,” Hizon said in her report.