MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Saturday that six victims of human trafficking in Myanmar have been repatriated to the country.
The group, which was composed of four men and two women, arrived in the Philippines on April 4.
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According to the BI, the group left the country as tourists for Myanmar in 2023.
However, they were recruited to work in the scam hubs in Myanmar where they received little to no salaries and were also subjected to physical and psychological harm.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that many Filipinos were tricked into working in these conditions through online job offers.
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“Many countries have already agreed that this is a growing crisis,” Tansingco said.
“Yet some Filipinos insist on departing as tourists to try out work offers they receive online, only to be duped into working in these scam hubs,” he added.
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The official also warned the public to be careful of jobs that are too good to be true to avoid being victimized.
“Many have already suffered; do not let yourself be the next victim,” he added.