BI: Traffickers using Telegram, Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — Trafficking rings are using social media platforms Telegram and Facebook to entice victims into accepting bogus job offers from online scam hubs, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Most of the victims are college graduates in Metro Manila and nearby areas, who are trafficked to work as scammers in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

On March 28, four trafficking victims were intercepted before boarding a Cebu Pacific flight to Malaysia. Around 206 Filipinos were recently repatriated after being forced to work at scam hubs in Myawaddy, Myanmar.

Recent data, mirroring trends observed in 2024, showed that victims aged 20 to 44 are primarily targeted through misleading advertisements offering high salaries.

The Philippines has maintained for nine consecutive years a “Tier 1” status in the US Trafficking in Persons Report, the BI said.

The ranking means the Philippine government has fully met the minimum standards to eliminate trafficking by demonstrating serious and sustained efforts to address the problem.