The victims had their passports confiscated and were forced to work 18 hours a day before going to their dormitories, without ever being allowed to leave.
They are finally free. Police in the Philippines have rescued more than 1,000 people who were being held captive and forced to engage in online scams, authorities said on Saturday (May 6). The anti-human trafficking operation took place Thursday in Mabalacat, 90 km north of Manila, said spokeswoman for the Philippine National Police’s cybercrime unit, Michelle Sabino.
The 1,090 people, held captive, were mainly Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesians lured to the Philippines under all kinds of fabulous promises, according to the police. Among them were also Filipinos, Malaysians, Thais, Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, Burmese and Nepalese.
Twelve people arrested
The victims had their passports confiscated and were forced to work 18 hours a day before going to their dormitories, without ever being allowed to leave. “They were like prisoners without cells. They weren’t even allowed to talk to their dorm mates”explained Michelle Sabino to AFP.
The workers were trained to entice foreigners, mainly in Europe, the United States and Canada, to buy cryptocurrency, or transfer money after establishing fake romantic relationships with the victims. “They were talking about building a future together: ‘Let’s buy a house, a car, let’s invest together, let’s start a business…'”, detailed Michelle Sabino. According to her, 12 people suspected of being at the head of this network have been arrested. They are seven Chinese, four Indonesians and one Malaysian.
In April, Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros denounced the presence in the Philippines of “fraudulent call centers” employing foreigners who are victims of human trafficking. An immigration official called for particular caution in international events, which are an opportunity for human traffickers to find victims.