Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 8) — Over 1,000 workers rescued in an operation at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga last week were told by their employer to “lure” victims to invest in cryptocurrency, the Department of Justice said on Monday.
Authorities rescued the trafficked workers on May 4 — 129 of them were Filipinos, the rest were foreign nationals from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
A statement from the Philippine National Police said the victims would remain in the country while papers for their return to their respective countries are being processed.Preliminary evidence indicate that the victims were recruited as call center agents to entice foreign customers from the United States, Canada, and Europe to invest in cryptocurrency. The victims, mostly male, were instructed to pretend to be attractive women to lure their victims to invest,” said the DOJ.Various government agencies and the local government of Mabalacat City are now assisting the victims. The Bureau of Immigration is likewise processing and assisting the foreign nationals.Considering the significant number of rescued foreign nationals, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is coordinating with the different embassies to supplement the assistance we can provide and to expedite victim repatriation,” added the DOJ.About a dozen individuals were initially identified as traffickers and have been brought to the DOJ in Manila for inquest proceedings.The identified traffickers were assisted by PAO Manila and executed a waiver of their rights under Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code, through the duly certified interpreters from the Chinese and Indonesian Embassy,” the DOJ said.
