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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
January 2, 2026 | 3:45pm
The BI repatriates several Filipinos who fell prey to human trafficking schemes and were trapped in Cambodia.
Bureau of Immigration / Release
MANILA, Philippines — Eight Filipinos who were forced to run fraudulent stock trading scams by criminal syndicates were rescued in Cambodia on New Year’s Eve.
In a statement on Friday, January 2, the Bureau of Immigration said the eight who were repatriated from Cambodia are in their early 20s to 30s, and were lured abroad through online recruitment, only to end up as human trafficking victims.
Once they arrived in Cambodia, the agency said that the victims were “forced into fraudulent activities upon arrival.”
The human trafficking cases, which prompted the Bureau of Immigration to warn the public against falling for overseas job offers tied to online investment schemes.
The modus the victims were forced into involved tricking other Filipinos into investing in "stock trading platforms or pseudo investment accounts." While they may appear legitimate, these accounts are controlled by criminal syndicates.
Should the victims fail to meet their daily quota, they were subjected to physical and psychological abuse.
“These criminal groups are ruthless. They deceive Filipinos with promises of high-paying jobs and easy money, then subject them to abuse once they are trapped. Let this serve as a strong warning: no legitimate employer will require you to scam your own countrymen or invest through unofficial platforms,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.
“The Bureau of Immigration is working closely with law enforcement partners to track, disrupt, and dismantle these scam rings. We are committed to protecting Filipinos and preventing these syndicates from continuing to victimize our people,” he added.
