Filipina intercepted over fake Belgian passport availed on TikTok

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) — A Filipina traveler was intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after presenting a fraudulent Belgian passport she obtained via TikTok.

The bureau said the Filipina was stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Sept. 5.

According to BI, the woman was identified as “Josephine,” who attempted to depart for Ercan, Cyprus through a Kuwait Airlines flight.

Immigration authorities, however. noted inconsistencies with the Belgian passport she presented.

“The BI’s Forensic Documents laboratory confirmed that Josephine’s passport, residence card, and immigration stamps were all counterfeit,” the BI said in a statement on Saturday.

“She was about to be arrested for being an illegal alien after insisting that she is Belgian, when she admitted that she has a Philippine passport, and used to be an overseas Filipino worker in Israel,” it also said.

The bureau further revealed that “Josephine” was deported from Israel early this year for working without a valid visa.

She paid ₱700,000 for her fake documents after she came across a TikTok video offering EU passports to travel visa-free to multiple countries, it added.

“She was promised work in Greece as a caregiver, with an offer of PhP180,000 salary per month,” said BI.

“Josephine was immediately turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance and filing of appropriate charges against her recruiter,” it also said.