Beware of passport scams on socmed
THE Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) Office of Consular Affairs (OCA) warned the public against unscrupulous individuals/groups who are offering passport appointment assistance for a fee following the discovery of the activities of Canferz Payment and Ticketing Center and Valesco-SMS Inc. which is allegedly peddling passport appointment slots through Facebook.
Canferz Payment and Ticketing Center allegedly offered passport appointment slots on Facebook and booked them under the account of Valesco-SMS Inc., a POEA-and DFA-accredited licensed recruitment agency (LRA), prompting the DFA to request for police investigation on the case.
The appointment slots offered to LRAs are intended for first-time OFW applicants only, in consideration of their special needs and in line with the Government’s special accommodation extended to OFWs.
Upon investigation, the Department discovered that the privilege extended to DFA-accredited LRAs was apparently abused as a means to illegally sell passport appointment slots to non-eligible applicants.
The DFA revoked the accreditation and access of Valesco-SMS Inc. to the DFA OFW Portal and filed a police complaint, affixing the police blotter of one of its alleged victims.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. subsequently ordered that the OFW Portal be taken down while assuring active OFWs’ accommodation in the DFA’s Passport Courtesy Lane facility as walk-in applicants starting today (March 14).
The Department reiterated that the appointment slots in the online passport appointment system is a free service offered by the Department.
The DFA continuously warns the public against advertisements on social media offering passport appointment assistance for a fee and reiterates that it does not use any social media network to offer or confirm passport application appointments nor has it authorized any company or individual to offer and accept passport appointment scheduling on the Department’s behalf.
