Fake passport stamp exposes suspected trafficking scheme at NAIA: news

Fake Passport Stamp Exposes Suspected Human Trafficking Scheme at NAIA

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted a suspected human trafficking victim at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 after officers detected a counterfeit departure stamp inside the passenger’s passport.

The 28-year-old male traveler, bound for Malaysia, claimed to be traveling as a tourist and presented travel documents bearing an immigration exit stamp. However, an immigration officer noticed irregularities in the stamp, prompting further secondary inspection. Verification by the BI Forensic Documents Laboratory confirmed that the departure endorsement was entirely fake.

During questioning, the passenger admitted that he had been recruited online via Telegram for a customer service representative job abroad and was interviewed by a foreign national. Prior to reaching the boarding area, an airport contact took his passport and boarding pass, returning them shortly afterward with the fraudulent stamp affixed to bypass primary immigration screening.

Authorities have referred the victim to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to assist in investigating the recruitment network and identifying airport collaborators involved in the illegal scheme.