THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has warned the public against any group or individuals luring passport applicants to pay a certain amount of money in exchange for an appointment slot with the DFA.
The DFA Undersecretary Jose Luis Montales said fixers have scammed many passport applicants and it has put up safety measures in the appointment system.
He said fixers usually offer their services to their unsuspecting victims who pay for an appointment slot. Others even require personal information and identification cards from their victims as requirements to hasten the appointment interview to the DFA.
Many people who fall prey to this scam complained that they paid as much, but was told by the DFA that they had no existing appointment with the agency for their passport application.
A report by ABS-CBN also quoted Montales as saying that fixers offer slots for a fee, but do not actually get the promised appointments. “They fill-up application forms and then put fake barcodes and appointment details. When applicants go to consular offices, they find out they were sold fake slots,” he said.
He said other scam involves fixers making those entitled to use the courtesy lane believe they need an appointment for passport application. Montales said under existing guidelines, seniors, minors 7 years and below, persons with disabilities, single parents (with Solo Parent ID) and their minor children, pregnant women with medical certificate, and migrant workers with sufficient proof of status may apply for passports at DFA consular offices without online appointments.
“So they pay enterprising individuals and they get referred to the courtesy lane,” he said. Another scheme, he said, is when a fixer could be working in cahoots with government employees or that the offices genuinely give endorsements without knowing that these are being sold, and also when a fixer fills out an online appointment form using the personal information of their clients and then sell this to the victim.
“All of these they employ a marketing scheme which is to make it appear to the public that they have reserved slots or that they can easily get appointments for a fee,” he said. (Zamboanga Post)
Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Read And Share Our News: Mindanao Examiner Website
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates
20
