PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL

Public Advisory 004-2023 07 June 2023 Suspension of Consular Operations due to poor air quality caused by Canadian Wilfire Haze

Public Advisory 003-202328 February 2023 ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT OF CALL CENTER AGENTS MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA The Philippine Consulate General in New York warns the public against syndicates operating online that seek to recruit "Customer Service Representatives" or "Call Center Agents" in Southeast Asian countries.These syndicates provide their victims, including Filipinos, with tickets to fly to a Southeast Asian country. Upon arrival, however, the recruits are relocated to remote areas and forced to work on online cryptocurrency scams and internet fraud. Victims are subjected to physical and psychological abuse, difficult working conditions, non-payment of wages, and confiscation of passports and mobile phones. They and their family are threatened with grave bodily harm and even death if they would not cooperate. In some cases, victims were sold to other syndicates which are engaged in sexual exploitation and slavery.The Consulate strongly advises the public to exercise caution when confronted with online offers for employment in mainland Southeast Asia.

Public Advisory 002-202310 February 2023 PUBLIC ADVISORY ON PONZI SCHEMES The Philippine Consulate General in New York reminds the Filipino community to exercise vigilance and extreme caution when conducting business and investing hard-earned dollars with individuals and entities of unreliable repute. Most often they turn out to be scammers and fraudsters involved in Ponzi schemes. A Ponzi scheme is an investment fraud that involves the payment of unusually high returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors. Ponzi scheme organizers often solicit new investors by promising to invest funds in opportunities claimed to generate high returns with little or no risk. With little or no legitimate earnings, Ponzi schemes require a constant flow of money from new investors to continue. Ponzi schemes inevitably collapse, most often when it becomes difficult to recruit new investors or when a large number of investorsask for their funds to be returned. Since Ponzi schemes can fly under the radar for years before they unravel, it is important to be vigilant and practice due diligence when deciding where to invest your hard-earned dollars. If the professional you are working with guarantees you above-market, no-risk returns on your investments, then this should be a red flag.…

Public Advisory 001-202330 January 2023 MAINTENANCE OF THE PASSPORT SYSTEM The Philippine Consulate General in New York informs kababayan that the Passport Online Appointment System (passport.gov.ph) will still be under scheduled maintenance until Monday, 30 January 2023, 10:59 AM ET. This same system maintenance will also affect Online Visa Appointment System (OVAS) and Philippine Visa Management System (PVMS). The Passport Online Appointment System (passport.gov.ph) is expected to be available by 11:00 AM ET of 30 January 2023.We request for the public’s understanding regarding the matter as we continue to improve our appointment system to better serve the Filipino people.