Filipinos who wants to apply for a US visa are an easy target for unscrupulous individuals and syndicates who offer fake services in exchange for a huge fee. Fortunately, the US Embassy in Manila is aware of the visa scams that targets US visa applicants and recently launched a campaign to stop the scammers from their activities.

The public service campaign of the US Embassy called “Walang Sikreto” aims to encourage US visa applicants to be honest in their applications and to warn them against seeking the services of visa fixers. It also aims to make the public more aware of fraud activities and appeal to the public to report any suspected fraud activities on their official website: manila.usembassy.gov.

According to the US Embassy, scammers usually choose to victimize applicants who are inclined to be lured to promises of “surefire formulas.” The targets are usually applicants aspiring for the following visas: tourists, students and temporary workers.

The Consular Fraud Prevention Unit of the US Embassy is the department in charge of the “Walang Sikreto” campaign.  It will air on different AM and FM radio stations in Metro Manila so more people will be aware of illegal and fraudulent activities associated with visa application.