MANILA, Philippines — Human trafficking syndicates are increasingly using Telegram and Facebook to lure Filipinos abroad through fake job offers, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned, as catphishing scams continue to rise.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said at least 125 trafficking attempts have been intercepted since January, with victims tricked into believing they were being recruited for legitimate overseas jobs. Instead, they were forced into online scam operations across Southeast Asia.

On March 28, immigration officers stopped four individuals—three men and one woman—at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as they attempted to fly to Malaysia. The victims had been promised high-paying jobs and instructed by recruiters to create fake online profiles, mimicking romantic scams.

Viado said traffickers are capitalizing on social media platforms, primarily Telegram and Facebook, to disseminate deceptive ads targeting Filipinos aged 20 to 44. Most of the victims were college graduates from Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

“These are not isolated incidents. There is a clear pattern in the tactics used by traffickers, and social media is at the center of it,” Viado said.

In 2024 alone, 206 Filipinos were repatriated after being rescued from scam hubs in Myawaddy, Myanmar. Many were forced to pretend they were employed in local call centers or BPOs to evade immigration scrutiny, according to the BI.

The bureau said traffickers often transport victims to countries like Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, where scam operations are rampant.

The BI said it is working closely with the Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to prevent the outflow of trafficking victims and crack down on the networks behind the operations.

While the Philippines retained its Tier 1 status in the 2024 U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, Viado said the government must remain vigilant.

“We are committed to dismantling these criminal networks and ensuring Filipinos are protected from exploitation,” he said.