(Eagle News) — The Department of Foreign Affairs has warned the public against what it said were passport appointment and document authentication scams on social media.
In an advisory, the DFA reiterated that it does not use Facebook or any other social media network to offer or confirm passport application appointments.
Nor has it authorized any company or individual to offer and accept passport appointment scheduling on the department’s behalf, it said.
The DFA said those who “engage the services of these unauthorized private entities or individuals using social media accounts and networks run the risk of not getting an authentic appointment or encountering issues with their passport application, aside from incurring additional expenses.”
It said consular services, after all, can only be made through the department’s official appointment systems www.passport.gov.ph/appointment for passport applications and https://co.dfaapostiIle.ph for apostille applications.
Senior citizens, persons with disabilities, overseas Filipino workers and other qualified individuals, on the other hand, may set their appointment using the courtesy lane facility by sending an email to [email protected] or to the email address of the nearest consular office.
Those who wish to seek assistance for consular services may also do so through the following official DFA accounts:
Official DFA Websites:
http://dfa.gov.ph, https://consular.dfa.gov.ph/, and http://ofwhelp.dfa.gov.ph
Official DFA FB Accounts:
https://www.facebook.com/dfaphl and https://www.facebook.com/OFWHelpPH
Official DFA Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/dfaphl
Official DFA IG Account : http://instagram.com/dfaphl
“The public is strongly advised to ignore offers from these companies or individuals and to use only the official passport appointment system maintained by the DFA,” the department said.
“The DFA is working hard to open additional appointment slots but without compromising the health and safety of the transacting public and its personnel,” it added.
