DFA: Beware of passport appointment scams


ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jan 30 2018 08:45 PM
MANILA - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday urged the public not to patronize fixers who use Facebook to fool applicants into believing they can secure passport appointments through their services.
DFA Undersecretary Jose Luis Montales said the agency has uncovered four types of scams that fixers use to victimize clients. The schemes emerged amid challenges in securing passport appointment slots at the DFA.

Montales said 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," Montales said. 
When applicants go to consular offices, they find out they were sold fake slots.
The second scheme involves fixers making those entitled to use the courtesy lane believe they need an appointment for passport application.
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," Montales said.
The third scam, he said, is obtaining endorsements from government agencies. He said a fixer could be working in cahoots with government employees or that the offices genuinely give endorsements without knowing that these are being sold.
The last scheme is where a fixer fills out an online appointment form using the personal information of their clients.
"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.
Montales reminded the public that the DFA appointment system is free of charge.
The DFA, he said, has uncovered several agencies involved in the scam, and have referred them to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for investigation.
"At the moment, we are not at liberty to say that because they are under investigation," he said.
He said the DFA has instituted several measures to counter the schemes, including a review and change of policies and practices and technical adjustments in the appointment system.

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