MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted a 27-year-old Filipina at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 after flagging her Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) as fake.

The aspiring overseas worker was initially bound for Hong Kong with a connecting flight to Malaysia on December 30.

Presenting herself as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), she submitted an OEC as part of her travel requirements. However, the BI-DMW system detected that her OEC was not registered in the official database.

Further verification by DMW personnel confirmed that the document was counterfeit and issued under another person’s name.

During questioning, the passenger admitted that she had asked a friend to process the OEC on her behalf. The friend referred her to an individual in Parañaque, to whom she submitted her documents and paid around PHP 10,000 for the fake certificate.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado commended airport personnel for the successful interception and emphasized the role of technology in preventing illegal recruitment activities.

“The use of our joint verification system with the DMW has proven crucial in detecting fraudulent documents. The BI remains committed to protecting Filipinos by intercepting such attempts to use fake OECs,” said Viado.

“I strongly urge the public to process their documents through proper channels to avoid falling victim to scams,” he said.

The passenger has been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and the filing of charges against her recruiter.

The BI reminded aspiring OFWs to avoid shortcuts and unauthorized intermediaries, warning that scams involving fake OECs remain rampant. Viado also encouraged OFWs to verify job offers directly with the DMW to ensure their safety and compliance with legal requirements.