Woman poses as Interpol agent for overseas job

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) a woman who pretended to be an Interpol agent in order to leave the country for a job as a household service worker in Thailand.

Bienvenido Castillo III, BI immigration protection and border enforcement section head, said that the 34-year-old woman – considered a victim of human trafficking – was prevented from boarding a flight for Bangkok on March 8.

The woman claimed to be an Interpol agent under the Protective Intelligence Anti-Crime Organization. She presented an identification card and letter orders from PIAO stating that she was allowed to travel for a holiday, according to Castillo.

An immigration officer noticed inconsistencies in her statements and referred her for secondary inspection, during which “she admitted that her documents are fake, and that she was recruited via Facebook to work as a household service worker in Thailand,” Castillo said.

“Her recruiter reportedly offered her P40,000 salary before giving her the documents,” he added.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco warned jobseekers that traffickers are turning to “creative stories and documents.”

The woman was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for the filing of cases against her recruiters.