The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday warned the public about an ongoing scam involving individuals falsely using the name of Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado to solicit money.

The warning came after an attempted money transfer scam targeting regional office heads of the BI.

Based on a report, on 10 February the head of a BI provincial office received a message from an individual claiming to be from the office of a high-ranking government official.

The employee was later instructed to download the Signal messaging platform. Minutes after, she received messages from an account bearing Viado’s details.

The supposed “Commissioner” instructed the employee to facilitate the transfer of P50,000 to a digital bank account allegedly belonging to a foundation, claiming it was a pledge he had forgotten to send for an activity. The sender assured that the amount would be reimbursed after a meeting with the Secretary of Justice.

The employee verified the request through proper channels and confirmed that the Commissioner had not issued any such instruction. It was later determined that unscrupulous individuals were attempting to impersonate Viado to scam BI personnel.

The individual continued to demand updates on the supposed deposit and even issued veiled threats, claiming he would personally go to the employee’s office if the instructions were not followed.

Viado categorically denied authorizing any such request.

“The Bureau of Immigration will never solicit or instruct any employee to transfer personal funds for donations, pledges, or any activity through private messaging applications. This is clearly a scam using my name,” Viado said.

He urged all BI personnel to exercise heightened vigilance against social engineering tactics and impersonation schemes.

The BI has referred the matter to the proper authorities for investigation and possible filing of criminal charges against those responsible.

The bureau also reminded the public that official communications from BI officials are coursed through proper and verifiable channels.

Any suspicious message requesting money, personal information or urgent financial transactions should immediately be reported to BI management and law enforcement authorities.