BI warns Holy Week travelers of scammers

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Saturday issued an advisory cautioning the public against scammers operating fake websites, and charging exorbitant fees for registration on the government’s eTravel website.

With the upcoming long weekend and the expected influx of travelers, the BI is urging the public to be vigilant to avoid falling victim to online scams.

Reports of passengers being duped by fake eTravel websites and made to pay between P3,000 and P5,000 registration fees prompted the BI to issue the advisory.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that registration on the eTravel platform is entirely free of charge; thus, he urged travelers to register only through the government’s official website at https:// etravel.gov.ph to avoid falling for fraudulent schemes.

“We advise the traveling public to be cautious and register exclusively on the official government website, or through the eGovPH application. The eTravel registration process is absolutely free of charge,” Tansingco said.

The agency has also encouraged individuals to immediately report fraudulent websites or entities demanding online payments to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) via their hotline at 1326.

Launched earlier this year, eTravel serves as a single data collection platform for arriving and departing passengers, integrating border control, health surveillance, and economic data analysis.

The joint project involves several government agencies, including the Department of Tourism, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Department of Transportation, among others.

Meanwhile, the BI reported the deployment in major international airports of eTravel kiosks being provided by authorities and the DICT.