BY JUN RAMIREZ
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a stern warning to the public on Friday, June 2, about the increasing prevalence of counterfeit overseas employment certificates (OECs) that are being sold online.
***(Courtesy of Bureau of Immigration)***The cautionary message follows a recent incident where BI officers intercepted a group of Filipinos who were attempting to depart the country using fake OECs.
The BI's travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) reported that three individuals, consisting of one female and two males in their 30s, were apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Tuesday, May 30, as they tried to board an Air China flight to Warsaw, Poland.
Furthermore, authorities at the Clark International Airport (CIA) also foiled an attempt by a male passenger to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai on May 28 as he presented a forged OEC.
Prior to these incidents, in May, the BI intercepted two female victims who were bound for Poland at NAIA.
During the investigation, all the victims confessed to paying amounts ranging from P1,000 to P10,000 to online fixers in exchange for the fraudulent documents.
Tansingco emphasized the integration of their system with the Department of Migrant Workers' database, enabling them to easily verify authentic OECs.
The victims have been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation. Appropriate charges will be filed against the scammers involved in these incidents.
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