A woman posing as a government employee has been detained for allegedly defrauding millions of pesos from the families of detained POGO workers, arrested by the Philippine President's Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado confirmed that the suspect has been blacklisted by the BI since 2024. She falsely claimed to be an employee of BI and PAOCC, demanding about one million pesos per person from the spouses of detained POGO workers in exchange for their release.
Viado condemned the suspect's actions and warned the public to be vigilant against similar scams. "This person has no authority whatsoever to represent the Bureau of Immigration in any transactions," he emphasized, "The act of impersonating a government official for fraud is extremely despicable, and we will not tolerate criminals exploiting government procedures for profit."
According to the Bureau of Immigration, the suspect and her travel agency, previously banned from any transactions with the agency due to submission of false documents.
On February 5th, PAOCC agents successfully arrested the suspect in a law enforcement operation. The operation was led by PAOCC Executive Director, Deputy Minister Gilbert Cruz, which Viado praised, stating it "fully demonstrates the close cooperation between the Bureau of Immigration and PAOCC in combating organized crime."
The Bureau of Immigration urges the public to be cautious, not to trust so-called "middlemen" or illegal channels for transactions, and encourages victims to report directly to relevant agencies to prevent more people from being deceived.
