BI warns vs. scammers pretending as immigration officers

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday warned the public against scammers posing as immigration officers to extort money from foreign nationals in the country.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said some foreigners received a fake mission order directing immigration officers to have house-to-house checks and inspections in entertainment establishments to arrest them.

“Hindi po 'to totoo dahil ang mga immigration personnel po ay maaari lamang manghuli ng isang foreign national kung merong mission order na issued ang ating Commissioner,” she said at a televised public briefing.

(That is not true because our immigration personnel only arrest foreign nationals if there is a mission order from the Commissioner.)

“At ini-issue lamang po ito kung merong thorough investigation and confirmed na may illegal alien, foreign national doon na may violation ng immigration laws,” she added.

(It is only issued after a thorough investigation and confirmation that there is an illegal alien or foreign national violating immigration laws.)

Sandoval warned the public that there will be more scammers during the holiday season.

She also advised foreigners who were victims of these scammers to report the incident to local authorities to capture the perpetrators.—AOL, GMA Integrated News