Ambassador Constancio R. Vingno, Jr. today warned overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs) against falling prey to scammers offering passport
appointments for a fee.
He stressed that the embassy and the consulate do not charge for such
transaction. What is being charged is the processing which is for Dh240.
“There’s no such thing. Hindi po binabayaran ang passport appointment,”
Vingno clarified in a phone interview with The Filipino Times from Abu
Dhabi.
The matter stemmed from a post by Vice Consul Rowena Daquipil on her
Facebook page about an announcement specifying dates and encouraging
interested individuals to reserve their slot. (Please see picture from the vice
consul’s FB page)
Though unverified, Daquipil urged OFWs to stir clear of this scammers if they
come across them.
“Sana ‘wag naman gawin pang business ang passport appointment dahil ito ay
libre. Kailangan lang ng Internet access,” Daquipil said in her post.
“Ganon din po dito sa UAE. Kung may nag-aalok po sa inyo ng passport
appointment na may kapalit na bayad, huwag po sana nating tangkilikin. Sa
loob po mismo ng embassy dito sa Abu Dhabi ay may laptop at printer and
Internet access kaya pwede po kayong mismong pumunta rito para mag-file ng
appointment online,” she added.
“Huwag po tayong magpoloko or hayaang tayo po ay samantalahin ng iba, mga
kababayan. Maging mapanuri po tayo. #babala”
Vingno said the embassy has a list of persons with appointments for passport
transactions, and a quick cross-check would reveal the discrepancy. (Jojo Dass)
