(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Philippine embassy has advised Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Qatar to be wary of online scams circulating in social media sites, and other bogus "investment-taking activities."
Ambassador Wilfredo Santos said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has detected a Facebook account under the name "OWWA loan," which solicits fees from OFWs in exchange for a loan. The account has purportedly 58 friends and uses the OWWA agency logo as profile picture, according to OWWA.
"Administrator Rebecca J Calzado of the OWWA is warning the public of a scam presently circulating throughout the OFW community that asks OFWs to pay a certain amount in exchange of an availment of loan from OWWA," Santos said.
"The embassy wishes to remind all OFWs and the public to be vigilant of scams used by swindlers to deceive people, and to refrain from giving any information, especially if financial in nature, to unidentified persons. Furthermore, everyone is advised to transact only with the OWWA office to prevent being victimised by scams."
The ambassador said OWWA has already reported the fake account to Facebook's help centre and also posted a warning on OWWA's official Facebook account and at www.owwa.gov.ph, its official website.
The embassy also informed all Filipino community organisations in Qatar of the Security and Exchange Commission's (SEC) advisory that warns the public against unauthorised "investment-taking activities" of Success200 International Marketing Corporation (Success200).
Based on the investigation of the SEC's Enforcement and Investor Protection Department (EIPD), the Manila-based company, which also reportedly operates in other countries, has violated the Securities Regulation Code (SRC).
"The investigation conducted by the SEC-EIPD showed that Success200 is engaging in unauthorised investment-taking activities without the required registration in violation of the SRC.
"The SEC posted an advisory on its website warning the public to exercise caution in investing their hard-earned money in similar high-yield, high-risk investment schemes," Santos said.
According to the SEC, Success200 is enticing investors to invest a "low-end" amount of P1,800 ($39.78) to a "high-end" of P36,000 ($795.22), with a promised return of P10,000 ($221) to P200,000 ($4,420.71) upon payout exit.
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