MANILA – The Philippine Consulate in Milan is closely working with local authorities in Italy to extend assistance to Filipinos who were scammed into paying exorbitant fees in exchange for working permits in the said country.
According to Consul General Elmer G. Cato, he sought the help of local authorities through the office of Prefect Renato Saccone, the highest ranking Italian Federal Government Representative in the city on September 4, 2023.
In that meeting, Cato asked Saccone’s office to help the consulate verify the authenticity of the alleged Italian work permits collected and submitted to his office from complainants and witnesses in Italy and the Philippines.
It was later found out that the issued work permits of some 215 Filipino jobseekers are fake and spurious and that they were made to pay PHP 180,000 each.
According to Cato, a task force was immediately organized by Saccone to focus on assisting the victims, particularly in filing cases against individuals and agencies who collected high fees and issued the fake documents.
“This was just among the actions the Consulate took to protect the interests of our kababayan,” Cato said.
Cato reiterated his call for other complainants to come forward to file their complaints against other individuals and agencies that have defrauded them.
Consul Cato said the Consulate is expecting several Filipinos to formally file their complaints this week.
As of Monday, there are now 51 individuals up from 33 last week who have filed complaints with the Consulate against three individuals and two agencies.
