Several residents of Barangay Pantal in Dagupan City have fallen victim to a scam where unauthorized individuals collect garbage fees using fake receipts.

Victims from Di-Or Village, Pag-asa Village, and Trinidad Subdivision paid amounts ranging from P50 to P300, only to find out later that the receipts they received were not official.

Barangay officials said only authorized collectors are assigned from Zone 1 to Zone 7, and they issue receipts with the official Barangay Pantal logo and signatures.

“Paalala lang po, please lang, huwag kayong magbayad ‘pag ang binigay na resibo, walang logo ng Barangay Pantal,” Barangay Chairperson Julita Perez said.

To prevent more residents from being scammed, the barangay reminded the public to check for official IDs before paying fees.

“Mayroon silang ID na sila’y garbage collectors,” Perez added.

Some residents have already become more cautious.

“Pinagbibigyan namin ‘yung mga naniningil. Authorized? Kilala ko naman ‘yung mga nag-iikot,” a resident said.

Barangay officials urged residents to report suspicious collectors immediately to avoid falling victim to the illegal scheme.