BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco warns the public anew against con artists using the name of the agency to dupe people out of money.
The warning followed after the BI received a request for verification from a Filipina whose American partner is allegedly being held at the airport last May 15.
The American partner was supposedly handed an order to pay PhP 40,000 as penalty for arriving with undocumented foreign currency found in his luggage, which exceeds the legal amount.
Earlier this month, the BI also received a request for verification from a Filipina whose supposed Korean partner was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for the exact same circumstances.
A fake BI Facebook account reportedly sent a message to the Filipina demanding payment of 350 USD for fines.
Tansingco clarified that immigration does not deal with incoming currency nor with luggage, thus the supposed order is a scam.
He said that he is glad that there is more awareness now and that people are coming forward to verify demands for payment.
Verification requests can be sent to the BI’s Facebook account at Facebook.com/officialbureauofimmigration or via their hotline at +632 8 4652400.
