MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday warned against rising cases of human trafficking involving Filipinos who were reportedly “sold” between online scam syndicates in Cambodia and forced to work up to 20 hours a day.

The agency said four trafficking victims — aged in their 20s and 30s — arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on April 19 aboard a Philippine Airlines flight from Phnom Penh. Their return was facilitated by the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) as part of the government’s intensified anti-trafficking efforts.

An initial investigation showed that the victims were recruited through Facebook job advertisements offering high-paying positions as encoders and customer service representatives. 

Upon arrival in Cambodia, their passports were confiscated and they were forced to work in online scam operations, including posing as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and romantic partners on dating platforms to defraud foreign nationals, it said.

The victims said they were subjected to 16- to 20-hour workdays and physical punishments. Those who failed to meet scam targets were reportedly sold or transferred to other syndicates.

“They were treated like property—bought, sold, and abused,” Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said in a statement.

The BI said the cases highlight the ongoing operations of transnational criminal groups exploiting Filipinos through illegal recruitment schemes. Viado urged jobseekers to verify offers with the Department of Migrant Workers to avoid falling victim to trafficking.

Authorities said investigations are ongoing to identify the recruiters and individuals who facilitated the victims’ illegal deployment.