BI warns vs ‘sophisticated’ ways to lure Filipinos into working abroad

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday warned the public against “sophisticated” methods of illegal recruiters in luring many Filipinos to work abroad over high salary, easy deployment, and other benefits after a Filipino was rescued from illegally working in Russia.

According to the BI, a 46-year-old passenger with an alias of “John” was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last June 20 after inconsistencies were flagged in his travel documents and declarations.

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The BI noted that the passenger claimed to travel to Hong Kong as a tourist for a five-day paid vacation but authorities discovered that he was originally bound to Moscow, Russia with Hong Kong as a transit point. He also failed to present required employment documents and overseas employment clearances.

“Further questioning revealed that he had allegedly been recruited through Facebook and WhatsApp by individuals claiming to represent a staffing agency. He was reportedly promised a monthly salary of USD 2,700 and was told that he could eventually obtain Russian citizenship,” the BI said in a press release.

With this, BI commissioner Joel Anthony Viado urged Filipinos wanting to work abroad to verify overseas job opportunities through the Department of Migrant Workers, emphasizing that safeguards exist to protect them from any abuse, trafficking, and exploitation.

“Illegal recruiters are becoming more sophisticated in their methods, often using social media platforms to lure victims with promises of high salaries, easy deployment, and even citizenship. These recruiters will promise you greener pastures, but oftentimes these offers turn out to be false, leaving victims stranded, exploited, or exposed to dangerous situations in foreign countries,” Viado said in the same press release.

The BI also encouraged the public to report suspicious recruitment activities to concerned agencies. This warning also came after 24 overseas returned home last weekend following their nine-month detention in Russia for their insufficient documents after falling victims to deceitful recruiters. /mr