A Filipina who was supposed to leave the country with an alleged fake Belgian passport that she bought after watching a video on Tiktok failed to get past the Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel.
In a statement released by the BI, it was said that the Filipina was about to board the Kuwait Airlines flight to Ercan, Cyprus at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 when it was intercepted.
It is said that the immigration officers noticed the inconsistent information in his passport and arrival stamps. And when checked, it was discovered that his passport, residence card, and immigration stamps were fake.
It is said that the woman first introduced herself as a Belgian national.
But later, he admitted that he used to be an overseas Filipino worker but was deported because he did not have a working visa. He said, he saw a Tiktok video offering an EU passport that he paid P700,000 to travel with.
The interlocutor allegedly even promised her a job in Greece as a caregiver.
BI forwarded the woman’s case to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking to determine if she is a victim of trafficking or not.
Fake Passports and Visas In the Philippines
The Philippines is well known for its beautiful beaches and fascinating culture, but regrettably this fame is overshadowed by some less desirable traits. It is renowned for being a location where anything is possible for the right price. Many Filipinos and foreigners have had severe financial and legal repercussions as a result of the rampant fraud perpetrated by “fixers,” who are everywhere.
“Forging documentation is a common practice in the Philippines” says Nathan Mendoza, Director of the Background Checks unit for Philippine PI™.
Many Filipinos are at their breaking point due to social pressures and conditions like poverty, and they will do virtually everything to leave the country for affluent nations like the United States or Australia, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
Diverse factors influence why people leave the Philippines. Unfortunately, some people choose to bypass the standard visa application process in order to minimise delays or because they are victims of a visa lottery scam.
The use of false documents to enter the United States or another nation is never an excuse and is manifestly prohibited, regardless of whether the objective is to seek out better employment possibilities or to reunite with family. The fact that a visa application can regard this plan as a “regular” process without recognising the seriousness of the consequences of fraud is what is increasingly causing cause for alarm.
Due to their fraud, many Filipinos are currently being deported before US immigration courts (while tens of thousands of illegals cross the Mexican border.) Many Filipinos are unaware of the severity of their fraudulent behaviour because they generally believe they will merely face deportation.
But falsifying a document carries more serious consequences than simply being deported. The truth is that it can be quite difficult if you have already established a life in the United States, even for those who simply fear deportation (got married, had kids, have assets, etc).
For years, the country strongly emphasized that transacting through fixers are illegal and punishable by law.
