Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a warning against scammers using his name.
The advisory comes after the BI Chief on Thursday, received a report that scam syndicates called a winning bidder of medical supplies for the agency to request for monetary ‘donations’.
Thankfully, Tansingco said, the owner of the company was alert and did not believe the scam.
“The owner of the company was alert and recorded his conversation with the scammer,” said Tansingco. “We received a copy of this recording, and confirmed that the man in the call was trying to impersonate me,” he added.
According to the BI, the unnamed company supplied medical equipment and safety gear after winning the bid under the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) this year.
The scammer reportedly called the owner of the company and requested an initial Php 50,000 for a donation to Red Cross, and another Php 750,000 as donation for PWD children.
“This is a scam,” Tansingco clarified. “No such solicitation is, and shall be authorized by our office,” he said. He further warned companies not to entertain such calls, and encouraged them to report any such attempts to authorities.
Scammers recorded using BI chief’s name
Tansingco said that they have submitted a request to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Cybercrime Division and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to investigate the case.
It can be recalled that last year, the BI inked an agreement with the CICC in the creation of cybercrime hubs.
“We do not take this lightly,” said Tansingco. “We are in close coordination with anti-cybercrime agencies and want these scammers behind bars,” he said.
Meanwhile, BI advised foreigners who are leaving the country during the upcoming Undas holiday break, to comply with their immigration departure requirements early, and avoid unnecessary queuing at the airport during the date of their flights.
In an advisory, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco reminded registered foreigners who are permanently living, working, or studying in the Philippines, that they may secure their re-entry permit (RP) or special return certificate (SRC) prior to departure in any of the different BI’s district, field, satellite and extension offices nationwide.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.