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Showing posts with label online appointment for passport. Show all posts

Friday, February 02, 2018

Got Your Passport Online Appointment? Check If It's Not Fake!

Buying and selling of online appointment for the passport application process were once a hot topic in social media. Thousands of Filipinos want to have an online appointment for passport application process, but due to limited slots, many are dismayed.

Some people said online appointment slot is being sold in social media for a price of up to P4,000. Because everyone wants a fast passport service and quick passport renewal, there are people who patronize this "service" without knowing they maybe become a victim of a scam. These scammers will promise you a fast passport application but when they got your money, they are nowhere to be found.

Read: Have a PH Passport? Here's 62 Countries, Territories You can Visit Visa-Free this 2018!

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not deny nor confirm the existence of the said scam but challenge the public to show evidence on the said matter. The DFA has already asked the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the said scam in the DFA particularly in buying and selling of online appointment process for passport application.

Read: Passport on Wheels (POW) of DFA Starts With 4 Buses To Process 2000 Applicants Daily

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There are four types of passport appointment scam according to DFA Undersecretary Joel Montales.

1. The "Pure Scam" — Scammers fill-up the application form for the applicants and put a false barcode on it to trick the applicant that the form has been submitted to the DFA.

2. The second type of scam is misleading the applicants to use the courtesy lane and make an appointment.

Read: Getting Passport for First-time OFWs, Now Easier, Faster

3. The third type provides an appointment for the patrons through a courtesy lane by giving them falsified endorsement letters or authentic ones which they acquire with a fee.

Montales said, “We’ve seen falsified endorsements and we’ve received information that applicants get authentic endorsements for a fee.”

4. The fourth type deceives the applicants by getting them schedule through the online appointment system but the slot would turn out to not reserved for the applicant.

Montales added that this scams often use fraudulent Facebook pages. So if you already have your online appointment slot for passport application, make sure you get it from DFA website itself and not from any other person or scammers out there.

Read: 100,000 Passport Appointment Slots is Now Open!