THE Department of Budget and Management has requested the assistance of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to apprehend fraudsters claiming to be personnel of the agency, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said Wednesday.
Unscrupulous individuals were reportedly involved in solicitation schemes targeting local government officials while posing as DBM personnel, the agency said in a statement.
The DBM said it had also asked the DILG to caution LGUs as scammers target local chief executives by drafting letters of fake requests for them to sign and ask for money for the supposed expedited release of funds for projects.
The NBI, meanwhile, was asked to track down the fraudsters, conduct an investigation and hold them accountable, the DBM said.
“Muli po kaming nananawagan sa ating mga kababayan na makipag-transact lamang po sa official channels ng DBM (We are urging the public to transact with official DBM channels). Rest assured that the DBM will exert all efforts and employ the fullest extent of the law to identify, apprehend, and file charges against these deceitful individuals,” Pangandaman said.
