17 January 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa is warning the public against a scam targeting overseas Filipinos who are being asked to provide emergency financial assistance for relatives in the Philippines who purportedly are involved in accidents.

The modus operandi of the scam involves an individual who introduces himself as an official of the Philippine Embassy or Consulate over the telephone and reporting on an unfortunate incident involving a close relative of the overseas Filipino that requires immediate cash transfer in order to proceed with emergency life-saving medical procedures.

Filipinos, whether overseas or domestically-situated, are reminded that Philippine embassies and consulates will never initiate contacts by whatever means for the purpose of asking unsuspecting victims for financial assistance, whether this involves emergency situations or any fund-raising schemes or projects.

The public is asked to exercise good judgment in entertaining phone calls of similar nature by directly checking with relatives in the Philippines and/or with the Embassy or consulate. For the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, the numbers to call are 613-2331121 (office hours) and 613-6142846 (after hours). The names of Embassy officials are published in the Embassy web site at www.philembassy.ca. Should there be a need to contact Canadian police authorities, the public is advised to directly dial 9-1-1.