DAVAO CITY, Philippines— Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco has issued a renewed warning to the public about con artists exploiting the agency’s name to swindle people out of money.
The warning was prompted by a recent incident on May 15, when the BI received a verification request from a Filipina whose American partner was allegedly detained at the airport. The American was reportedly instructed to pay a penalty of PhP 40,000 for carrying undocumented foreign currency in his luggage, which exceeded the legal limit.
Earlier this month, the BI received a similar verification request from another Filipina, whose supposed Korean partner was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) under the same circumstances.
A fraudulent BI Facebook account had sent a message to the Filipina, demanding a payment of 350 USD for fines.
Verification requests can be sent to the BI’s Facebook account at Facebook.com/officialbureauofimmigration or via their hotline at +632 8 4652400.
