The Bureau of Immigration (BI) successfully intervened to save a 22-year-old woman suspected of being a victim of a mail-order bride scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The incident occurred on January 14, when the woman was about to board a flight to Shanghai, China, operated by Philippine Airlines. The BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) halted her departure after detecting discrepancies in her account and documentation. Initially, she stated she was traveling to visit her Chinese husband, but her narrative and paperwork did not align. Further questioning revealed inconsistencies in her story about her marriage, which she claimed followed a three-year relationship. She later confessed that she had met her husband online on November 21 of the previous year, met him in person the next day, and married him two days later, receiving PHP50,000 for her family. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado highlighted the role of social media in facilitating such schemes, noting that victims often end up in unpaid domestic work under the guise of marriage. The woman was handed over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for deeper investigation and potential legal action.
Bureau of Immigration Rescues Alleged Mail-Order Bride at NAIA
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