Public warned vs. fake DSWD employees extorting money

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday warned the public against people posing as its employees to solicit money in exchange for supposed financial assistance from its programs.

In an Unang Balita interview, DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said those found committing this crime will be charged of usurpation of authority, falsification of public documents, and large-scale estafa.

This came after a man with an alias of Jay Lagrimas was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly presenting himself as DSWD-National Capital Region staff member and telling people that they would be listed as recipient of DSWD assistance in exchange for a registration fee.

Lopez said DSWD employees are prohibited from going house-to-house to directly talk to people for transparency reasons.

“Paalala sa ating mga kababayan, ‘yung mga ganitong programa ng DSWD, ay hindi kayo babahay-bahayin ng mga ‘yan para tanungin kung gusto niyong mapasama. ‘Yan ay lagi pong may proseso — dadaan sa barangay at makikipag-coordinate doon sa mga barangay workers para sa gayon ay ipatawag kayo at kausapin po kayo,” he said.

“Hindi mangyayari ‘yung parang naga-ahente ‘yung taga-DSWD dahil ‘yan po ay una, pinagbabawal, at for transparency,” he added.

(In these DSWD programs, our employees will not go to your houses to ask if you want to join. There is always a process — we go through the barangay and coordinate with the barangay workers so that they can call you and talk to you. The DSWD employees will not act as agents because we are not allowed to do so and for transparency purposes.)

Lopez said the DSWD already considers the scheme of pretending to be their employees to extort money to be the handiwork of criminal groups. —KBK, GMA News