(JERRY S. TAN)
FAKE documents continue to circulate and proliferate.
This unfortunate news was announced by Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco, who said that a report from the BI’s Anti-Fraud Section said it examied a total of 241 fraudulent and counterfeit documents for 2023 which were found to be questionable.
These documents examined by the BI’s forensic documents laboratory included birth and marriage certificates used for visa applications, as well as passports, visas, and immigration stamps used for international travel.
The BI chief lamented the continued proliferation of fake documents, saying that most of these come from fixers who promise to provide quick processing of applicants’ documents.
Thus, he warned that the BI has modern equipment at par with other immigration agencies worldwide that can detect fraud.
“Apart from our immigration officers who are skilled in detecting fraud, fake documents can already be detected by our modern equipment,” said Tansingco.
He added: “Those who attempt to use spurious documents will definitely be intercepted.”
Tansingco said the bureau has procured three new video spectral comparators which are used for advanced forensic-level document examination and can also be used to check travel and identity documents including passports, ID cards, visas, and permits.
Another two were earlier donated by the Australian Government through the Department of Home Affairs of the Australian Embassy.
