The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has issued a warning against fake or forged documents used by scammers in the so-called love scam. One of these is a letter pretending to be from the BI and asking for money from the victim.
According to BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, such letters are used to scare the victim and easily persuade him to send money. In one case, the BI received a allegedly fake letter with his signature and sent to a woman in Pampanga.
Viado said the letter claims that the victim's foreign chat partner was intercepted at the airport, and claims that it is related to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The letter includes a warning to stop contacting the foreigner, while also providing the mobile number and social media account of the fake official.
The letter also instructed to send money to a private bank account that was not authorized by the BI. Because of this, the BI once again urged the public not to believe in such letters and not to send money immediately.
The BI has ordered the authorities to conduct an investigation into the incident to stop this type of fraud.
