Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9) — The six Filipinos who escaped their employers in Laos after being trafficked to engage in illegal work were repatriated, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Saturday.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the victims were recruited to work as chat support agents in Thailand, but they were brought to Laos and were forced to work for syndicates under a company. They served as “love scammers” targeting Asians.
“The scheme was to look for possible clients who they can dupe into falling in love with them and then encouraging them to invest in their pseudo company,” Tansingco added.
The victims said they were sold three times from one company to another before they reached out to the Philippine Embassy virtually. They arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Maundy Thursday, April 6, the BI said.
“Imagine being sold like inanimate objects,” Tansingco said. “These transnational crimes are becoming more and more alarming, and I call on everyone to remain vigilant.”
The BI also reported on Saturday that a Filipina who was forced to work illegally in Myanmar was repatriated after she paid ransom for release.
She was promised to work as a customer service representative in Thailand, but upon her arrival, she was fetched by a private car and traveled several hours to Myanmar where she was forced to scam Indians to invest in a platform known as “Pacific Mall,” Tansingco said.
In order to be released, the Filipina paid up and looked for three others to replace her, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a text message to CNN Philippines.
“Her employer threatened that she will be the last one to be released, and no others will be released without working for at least a year,” Sandoval added. “Employer also destroyed her SIM card and reset her mobile phone to delete evidence.
READ: BI: OFW trafficked in Myanmar paid ransom for release
The BI said these incidents are part of a string of human trafficking cases that were reported over the past months in Southeast Asia.
Sandoval earlier said the BI has recorded some 6,000 suspected victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and misrepresentation for the first two months of 2023.
READ: BI records 6,000 victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment for Jan to Feb
