THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned travelers not to fall prey to recruiters providing fake documents.
He issued the statement after learning of the case of a female passenger who was prevented from leaving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last October 19, after BI officers found that her departure was previously deferred after she was caught using spurious travel documents.
The passenger, who was bound for Oman, had claimed she was going to visit her husband but the marriage certificate she presented turned out to be fake. She eventually confessed that all the documents she presented, including her lover’s alleged affidavit of support, are all fake.
A check of her travel record later revealed that last September, the passenger also attempted to leave for Malaysia, but was stopped by immigration officers for having improper documents.
The BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) reported that the victim even presented an edited wedding picture in an attempt to deceive authorities.
She reportedly paid more than Php 30,000 for the fake documents, which authorities believe were used to be able to illegally work abroad.
Her case was immediately forwarded to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for filing of cases against her recruiter.