Visa scam alert: US Embassy in Manila warns applicants against fraudsters

Manila: US visa applicants here were warned against scammers impersonating US government officials to demand unauthorised payments.

The US Embassy in the Philippines has issued a warning on Friday (January 24), urging visa applicants to stay vigilant against fraudsters seeking US visa hopefuls.

In a statement released on Friday, January 24, the embassy emphasized that all official communications are sent only through email addresses ending in "@state.gov" or "support-philippines@usvisascheduling.com."

Pay only through official channels

Messages regarding visa cases sent through social media platforms or messaging apps like Facebook, Viber, or WhatsApp are not legitimate.

"We will never communicate directly to applicants about a specific case from any other email address, social media or other messaging platforms, like Facebook, Viber or Whatsapp," the embassy stated.

Payments can only be made through two official channels: the travel.state.gov portal for immigrant visas or ustraveldocs.com for nonimmigrant visas.

To safeguard against scams, the embassy encouraged applicants to rely solely on information provided on its official website, ph.usembassy.gov/visas.

"Payments can be made online within the portal, or with cash at any RCBC branch after you have created an account," the embassy added.

For those who believe they have fallen victim to a scam, the embassy advised reaching out via email at fpmmanila@state.gov.