MANILA, Philippines—Filipino trafficking victims repatriated from Myawaddy, Myanmar, have revealed a new scam operation targeting Filipino-Americans (FilAms), involving fraudulent cryptocurrency investments. 

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has issued a warning to the public about this emerging trend, which is now reaching the Filipino migrant community in the United States.

The victims detailed how scammers use social media to reach out to FilAms, convincing them to invest in fake cryptocurrency accounts with promises of high returns and minimal risk. 

Once victims transfer their money, the scammers manipulate account balances to show fake profits, convincing them to invest even more. Eventually, the fraudsters disappear with the funds, leaving the victims unable to access their supposed earnings.

“This is a sophisticated scam targeting Filipinos abroad,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado in a statement.

 “The scammers first make contact via social media, offering easy investment opportunities. After victims invest, they disappear with the funds, leaving the victims with nothing,” he added

In a separate development, the BI commended the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for arresting an individual identified as “Jon Jon.” He was among those repatriated on March 26. 

Initially claiming to be a victim of the scam syndicate, “Jon Jon” was later revealed to be one of the recruiters who offered jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked workers to Myanmar, where they were exploited in scam operations.

Repatriates identified “Jon Jon” as a key figure behind the new module targeting FilAms. One victim claimed that “Jon Jon” pretended to be a victim himself, despite his role in recruiting others into the operation.

“We wish to send this warning to our kababayans abroad not to fall prey to this new modus,” Viado said.