BI to probe cases of ‘crypto scam’ trafficking victims

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will look into the records of the eight repatriated Filipinos who were victimized by cryptocurrency scammers.

In a statement Tuesday night, Commissioner Norman Tansingco said he has directed the BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement to investigate the case of these victims who arrived in the country on Monday night via a Scoot Airlines flight from Singapore.

The group, composed of four men and four women, flew from Dubai to supposedly work in Thailand but was later transported to Myanmar.

The men were recruited online outside the Philippines.

One of them left as a registered OFW in Dubai in 2019, while the other three left as tourists in 2016, 2019, and 2021 to visit immediate family members but have not returned since.

On the other hand, two of the female victims had previous short-term travels, with one even traveling with her husband.

The other two were able to depart after having established personal capacity and local employment.

“This is a new form of trafficking that targets young, urban professionals who have the capacity to travel abroad. These highly educated professionals would not even think that they would be vulnerable and be trafficked, as they are merely exploring opportunities that they may have encountered online,” Tansingco said.

He reminded Filipinos both in the Philippines and outside the country to be cautious of job offers online and ensure that they obtain work legally.

Filipino recruits were required to develop relationships with their targets via social media, and entice them to invest in a pseudo-crypto account.

If they were unable to scam enough people, they would be subjected to physical punishments.

These networks reportedly operate in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. ■

This is a new form of trafficking...