The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday alerted the public to an ongoing extortion scheme that fraudulently uses the names of BI officials.

This comes after BI commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado obtained a copy of a fake document bearing his forged signature and that of a purported immigration officer.

The fraudulent document, dated April 2025, was addressed to a resident of Pampanga province and referenced a nonexistent case involving a foreign citizen allegedly arrested for illegal entry from Baghdad via a private jet.

In the letter — which was written in poor English and containing several factual inaccuracies — instructed the recipient to cease communication with the individual. It also directed her to contact a supposed officer via a mobile number and Facebook, threatening legal action under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The letter also mentioned unregistered payments supposedly made to a bank account.

Viado said the demand letter is believed to be part of a love scam where victims are deceived into thinking their online foreign partners are being detained at the airport by government officials, and money is then extorted for their release.

He condemned the scheme and cautioned the public against falling victim to such scams.

The BI chief also stressed that scammers use these types of fake documents to create a sense of urgency and fear and clarified that the bureau does not issue directives through informal channels or authorize payments to personal accounts.

“Avoid falling for these kinds of scams,” he said.

Viado also urged the public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity and the agency is currently collaborating with law enforcement to investigate the scam and identify those responsible.