LEGAZPI CITY–The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has alerted the public, particularly the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), against bogus validators selling various medicines and distributing complimentary raffle tickets that could allegedly win them house and lot from Camella.
DSWD Bicol Director Arnel Garcia said the culprits are visiting the houses of 4Ps recipients and posing as validators of the department by also asking information about the household’s profile.
DSWD is presently conducting validation of households in Bicol Region.
At the end of their interviews, the bogus validators will sell medicines at only PHP499 as they convince their victims that their promo sale is being offered only to 4Ps beneficiaries, Garcia said.
He said these persons already victimized some 4Ps beneficiaries in Barangays Sagrada and San Vicente in Iriga City.
Garcia said the modus operandi of the suspects is to introduce themselves as DSWD staff whose job is to get the 4Ps beneficiaries’ profiles, then at the end of the survey, would start selling their medicine at a promo price of PHP499, convincing their victims that its real price in the market is PHP1,499.
He said that once the victims already bought the medicines, they would give them a “complimentary raffle ticket” with house and lot from Camella as prize.
To further lure their victims, the fake validators would tell them that the promo is exclusive only to 4Ps beneficiaries, Garcia added.
“DSWD does not collect any fee or sell products to the public to make them eligible beneficiaries to any program of the agency,” he said.
Garcia also said that their official validators wear big identification card with their name, photo and is duly signed by him as DSWD Bicol director.
The DSWD validators are presently conducting house-to-house interviews to update and check the information of the households to be included as beneficiaries of the unconditional cash transfer (UCT), Garcia said.
He advised the public to report any similar case to the Area Supervisors and Area Coordinators assigned in the provinces or thru the Municipal/ City Social Welfare and Development Offices. (PNA)
