BI: Traffickers now asking victims to pose as missionaries
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has uncovered a new and “sneaky” scheme used by human traffickers to slip past airport checks: posing as missionaries on a church trip.
This after immigration officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 apprehended three women on April 1 who were pretending to be members of a church mission so they could evade interception, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said in a statement on Monday.
According to the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section, the three women—aged 23, 25 and 50—were attempting to board a Scoot Airlines flight to Singapore, connecting to Thailand. The BI did not identify them in its report.
The women initially claimed to be full-time church volunteers designated for missionary work in Thailand. However, discrepancies in their documents raised suspicion, leading to further investigation.
Upon questioning, the younger women confessed they were not part of a missionary group but were licensed teachers in the Philippines who were recruited for illegal employment at a school in Thailand.
They also admitted that they had been recruited by the older woman they were traveling with, who claimed to be the founder and head preacher of their congregation.
“The victims also disclosed they had not yet been hired and were asked to prepare employment documents like their transcripts [of record], in case the school decided to employ them,” the BI said, adding that the two were referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) for assistance.
‘Bitbit’ scheme
Immigration officers noted that the recruiter had recently traveled to Thailand.
A check of her records also showed she had previously left with another group of passengers, whom she claimed belonged to her church, but they had not returned to the Philippines.
She was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation on April 3 after verifying with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) that she was not licensed or authorized to recruit workers for overseas employment.
Viado pointed out that the case was reminiscent of the “bitbit” (tag along) scheme, where a frequent traveler, acting as a courier, attempts to transport a group of passengers under false pretenses, while victims are unknowingly coerced into illegal work.
The BI recalled the 2011 case of six Lebanon-bound Filipino women who posed as nuns to evade being questioned and later admitted to be traveling to work illegally in that country.
Meanwhile, Viado hailed the quick efforts of the NBI in apprehending the recruiter of the victims.
“Joint efforts of the BI, NBI, and other members of the Iacat lead to the arrest of these traffickers. More arrests lead to less victims—this means that our kababayan (compatriots) are more protected from these predators that take advantage of their vulnerability,” Viado said.
Scams
In its 2024 yearend report, the BI said it referred 998 victims of human trafficking to the Iacat and 215 Filipinos to the DMW for illegal recruitment cases.
BI also exposed different trafficking schemes committed in 2024 including fake pilgrimages, mail-order bride arrangements, and illegal surrogacy.
In February this year, BI raised concerns over the increasing number of Filipinos trafficked by “catphishing” scam syndicates, with 14 victims intercepted in just one week.
Viado, in an earlier statement, said that authorities apprehended 14 victims attempting to leave the country for illegal work in scam hubs abroad.
Last month, the BI said that there were an increasing number of Filipino trafficking victims illegally departing the country through backdoor routes to work in “Pogo-like” companies abroad, referring to the work arrangements of Philippine offshore gaming operators or Pogos.
The BI has been actively strengthening border security measures, but the agency stresses the need for greater coordination with local authorities to prevent illegal departures through other routes.
On April 6, the BI issued another warning about rising catphishing scams luring Filipinos with fake job offers on social media.
Viado revealed that the scheme has become more widespread, with 125 cases intercepted throughout 2024. The victims, tricked by false promises of legitimate jobs, were lured by deceptive social media ads promising attractive pay and coerced into creating fake online profiles, resembling online love scams. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
