MANILA, Philippines—Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said that Filipino trafficking victims repatriated from Myawaddy, Myanmar revealed a new trend in scam hub operations.
The BI Chief said that they are raising the alarm and informing the public of the new trend, to ensure that Filipinos are protected from scams, in compliance with directives from President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Viado shared that one of the victims recounted how the scam hubs are now targeting Filipino migrants in the United States.
Scammers deceive unsuspecting victims by persuading them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency accounts, often promising high returns with little to no risk.
They employ various tactics, including contacting FilAms via social media messages to lure investors.
Once the victims transfer their money, the scammers may manipulate account balances to show fake profits, convincing them to invest even more. Eventually, the fraudsters disappear with the funds, leaving the victims unable to withdraw their supposed earnings.
Earlier, Viado hailed the arrest of alias ‘Jon Jon’ by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) operatives who was among the individuals repatriated on March 26. He claimed to have been victimized by the syndicate abroad, but was later tagged by his colleagues as one of the recruiters who offered work in Thailand but ended up transporting them to Myanmar where they were abused and forced to work as scammers.
Repatriates pointed to alias ‘Jon Jon’, who allegedly volunteered to develop the new module targeting FilAms. One repatriate even stated that ‘Jon Jon’ pretended to be a victim, despite having recruited numerous illegal workers.
“We wish to send this warning to our kababayans abroad not to fall prey to this new modus,” said Viado. “The IACAT (inter-agency council against trafficking) is working to ensure that those who continue to victimize Filipinos face the harshest penalties of the law,” he stated.
