1.The Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Manila has been alerted to a possible scam operation targeting Singaporeans by an individual or group masquerading as Singaporeans claiming to require financial assistance for his/her Singaporean relatives in the Philippines. The modus operandi of the scam involves an individual who seeks financial help via social media platforms usually on the pretext of assisting a close relative who has met with an unfortunate incident in the Philippines. The Embassy wishes to inform Singaporeans to be wary of such scams. Singaporeans who have received such approaches should take the following steps:
Do not transfer any money or provide credit card details.
Check with the Singapore Embassy in Manila via e-mail at singemb_mnl@mfa.sg to verify the authenticity of the case.
2. The Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Manila has been made aware of fraudulent letters, sent in the Embassy’s name, requiring job applicants seeking employment in Singapore to deposit money to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of the Government of Singapore as part of the application process. The Embassy wishes to inform the public that these letters were not issued by the Embassy.
Anyone who has received such letters and suspects them to be fraudulent can write to SINGEMB_MNL@mfa.sg for verification and is encouraged to report the fraudulent letters to the relevant authorities in the Philippines.
3. The Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines recently implemented an Alien Registration Project (ARP). Foreigners who have stayed beyond 59 days in the Philippines and are not holding an Alien Certificate of Registration may apply for the ARP at any authorised Bureau of Immigrations regional office. Registrants under the ARP will be assigned with a Special Security Registration Number (SSRN) which shall be used for transactions with the Bureau. Compliance period is from 01 October 2014 to 30 September 2015. Non-compliance in the ARP is subject to corresponding penalties.
For more information on ARP, please visit the official website of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration at https://immigration.gov.ph