IMMIGRATION Commissioner Norman Tansingco warned the public anew against con artists using the name of the agency in scamming gullible victims for cash.
Tansingco issued the warning after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) received a report about an alleged Australian asking financial assistance for the release of his Filipina girlfriend, “Victoria.”
According to the Australian, “Victoria” was detained at the Clark International Airport (CIA for accusations of smuggling 18 kg of alluvial gold bars.
The Australian even sent a photo to his victim of a fake letter allegedly signed by the BI chief.
It was mentioned in the alleged letter that “Victoria” was being held for lack of documents to travel with gold minerals.
The Australian said he was asked to pay USD 4,000 to secure an “ownership certificate” for her.
“First of, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration has no business inspecting the luggage of travelling passengers. There is a separate government agency for that,” Tansingco clarified.
“BI agents are also not authorized to receive money through wire transfers for immigration processes,” he added.
Tansingco then expressed his dismay towards the incident.
“These fraudsters even had the audacity to use my name and forge my signature in a document that was not even written well,” he said.
“It’s the same story over and over again for these scammers, but this time they are targeting foreign nationals using Filipinos. Do not be victimized by these criminals,” he warned.
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