BI intercepts aspiring OFW with fake OEC

The Bureau of Immigration prevented a Filipina from leaving the country on Monday for presenting a fake Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC).

In a press statement on Tuesday, the BI said the OEC of the 27-year-old woman, who was bound for Hong Kong with a connecting flight to Malaysia, was found to not have been registered with the joint BI-DMW system.

It was later discovered that the document was counterfeit and issued to a different individual.

The aspiring overseas Filipino worker admitted during questioning at NAIA Terminal 3 that the OEC was processed by an individual she met in Parañaque for P10,000.

“The use of our joint verification system with the DMW (Department of Migrant Workers) has proven crucial in detecting fraudulent documents. The BI remains committed to protecting Filipinos by intercepting such attempts to use fake OECs. I strongly urge the public to process their documents through proper channels to avoid falling victim to scams,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado.

The woman has been endorsed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and the filing of charges against her recruiter, the BI said. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News