BI warns vs 'bitbit' scheme where victims pose as missionaries

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has warned against a new “bitbit” scheme whereby illegally recruited victims are posing as missionaries on a church-related trip. 

BI Commissioner Joel Viado said immigration officers reported the scam after three female passengers were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)  on April 1 while attempting to board a flight to Singapore connecting to Thailand. 

According to Viado, BI personnel found discrepancies while inspecting the documents of the passengers aged 23, 25, and 50. Upon questioning, the two victims confessed they were not part of a missionary group but were licensed teachers allegedly recruited for illegal employment at a school in Thailand. 

They said they were recruited by their companion, who allegedly presented herself as a full-time church volunteer designated for a missionary mission in Thailand.

“This case echoes the 'Bitbit' scheme, where a frequent traveler, acting as a courier, attempts to transport a group of passengers under false pretenses, while victims are unknowingly coerced into illegal work,” said Viado.

A check of the suspect’s immigration records  showed she recently traveled to Thailand with another group of travelers whom she also claimed to be her church companions. The travelers have yet to return to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the BI referred the victims to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance.

It can be recalled that in 2011, six Lebanon-bound Filipinas posed as nuns to evade being questioned. They later admitted to be traveling to work illegally in the said country. —Sundy Locus/RF, GMA Integrated News