A RENEWED warning was issued by Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco against scammers offering immigration services on social media and victimizing the hapless public of their hard-earned money.
Tansingco also advised the public to immediately report online scams to the Bureau of Immigration or other law enforcement agencies.
He issued the warning after Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO) Chairperson Ka Kuen Chua testified during a Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee hearing that there are offers on social media that charge P1 million to P5 million to lift immigration blacklists.
“We have observed that this scam proliferates not only on Facebook, but also in other messaging platforms such as WeChat. There are even some accounts that pretend to be immigration lawyers and legal officers. They create profiles using photos of our employees, their badges, or even the logo of the Bureau,” he shared.
It will be recalled that a similar warning was issued by the BI in September last year when reports of fake employees offering illegal services surfaced on social media.
“This is a recurring scam that pops up every now and then. We warn the public not to engage with these scammers. Remain keen to avoid being victimized,” the BI chief stated.
