BUREAU of Immigration (BI) officers stopped three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from leaving the country on Monday, June 10, after they presented passports with altered visas.
In a report to Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) said that the three OFW victims were intercepted at NAIA Terminal 3 before they could board a Cebu Pacific Airlines flight to Dubai.
I-PROBES personnel, who interviewed the victims, said that the victims initially stated that they had been offered to work in Dubai as cleaners and provided employment documents to support their claim.
Upon closer inspection, it was confirmed that their United Arab Emirates (UAE) employment visas had been tampered with, suggesting potentially fraudulent activity.
Investigation revealed that the victims were unaware of the tampered visas and were presumably misled by a single recruitment agency.
The case was later turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.
Reacting to the incident, Tansingco again warned aspiring OFWs to be proactive and assertive in verifying the authenticity and accuracy of all documents presented by recruitment agencies or employers. “Be wary of any agency or individual promising expedited or guaranteed visa processing, as this could be a red flag for potential fraud or exploitation,” he added.
