ZAMBOANGA CITY — Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office 9 Director Atty. Roy L. Buenafe warned the public against bogus DOLE employees who contact private companies to allegedly ask for donations of gadgets such as laptops and mobile phones for a scholarship program.

Dir. Buenafe made this statement after a private company representative reported to DOLE 9 that a certain JOHN SANTIAGO allegedly connected to DOLE 9 contacted them asking for a donation of laptops and other gadgets to be used by scholars under DOLE’s scholarship program. The scammer used the mobile number 0963-277-9623 to contact unsuspecting victims particularly large private companies.

“John Santiago is not an employee of DOLE. We strongly advise the public to be wary of such scams. The government does not, in any way, ask for donations from individuals or companies as this is prohibited by law. We urge citizens to be vigilant and to report to the authorities any unscrupulous activity right away,” he warned.

The public is encouraged to alert DOLE about scams by calling DOLE9 Hotline at (062) 991-3376 / (062) 955-0214 and 0917-724-4334. The DOLE hotline service is open to attend not only to queries about labor and employment issues but also to other critical incidents affecting local and overseas-based workers. ###