Filipino authorities are warning people seeking “greener pastures” by starting a new life in Malta that they may be at risk of being scammed.

In a new message posted this week, the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) shared that they had intercepted two human trafficking victims bound for Malta.

Sharing an image of the island alongside the caption “Malta still a hotspot for trafficking”, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the victims posed as friends travelling as tourists as they prepared for their flight on 29th April to Bangkok at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

They then recounted the case they intercepted, which saw the victims promised they’d be able to work in Malta soon after they arrived.

According to the BI Chief, the passengers initially declared leaving for a four-day vacation and presented proof of local employment at dental clinics in the country.

“Both women later admitted during secondary inspection that their final destination is Malta, and that their documents were only handed to them by an unknown person that same morning outside the airport,” added Tansingso.

The victims, however, were unaware that their employment visas to Malta were already cancelled even before leaving the country.

They added that they were instructed by their recruiter to wait for the rest of their travel documents upon reaching Bangkok.

“We call on the public to exercise caution in dealing with recruiters. Several investigations have shown exploitation of domestic and foreign victims in the Mediterranean, and this has long been a cause of concern,” said Tansingco.

“The BI understands being enticed by greener pastures abroad, but by not going through the correct process, aspiring migrant workers risk getting abused overseas,” he added.

Meanwhile, the trafficking victims were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and filing of appropriate charges against their recruiters.