Beware of fake gift cards

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

Beware of gift cards offered or promotional and marketing strategies -- they may not be real or warranted.

The Department of Trade and Industry-Cordillera Administrative Region issued warning last week relative to proliferation of gift cards purportedly from Golden ABC Stores Inc.

The DTI had been advised by Golden ABC on the circulation of fake gift certificates and gift cards which their subsidiaries have been receiving recently from customers as payment of purchases, said DTI information officer Art Tibaldo.

The gift certificates and gift cards come in P500 and P1,000 denominations and copies of samples that have been furnished the DTI included cards and certificates for the establishments Memo, Regatta, Penshoppe, Oxygen and For Me, he added.

DTI-CAR Regional Director Myrna P. Pablo advised the public to be prudent in transacting with individuals or groups that offer such certificates and gift cards as these will not be honored by Golden ABC and its companies and boutiques..

Pablo appealed to the public to help in putting a stop to the circulation of fake GCs by reporting any information on the individuals or groups distributing or selling these GCs to the nearest DTI office.

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In a related development, the DTI and Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors against engaging the services of a fake firm operating under the name Professional Forex Union Limited.

The DTI found the firm was engaged in questionable market practices. The SEC upon checking with its Company Registration and Monitoring Department, said the company was found to be spurious and not in their database.

Pablo said that the SEC is an agency partner in protecting the public against scams and illegal  market practices.

Earlier reports received by the DTI office mentioned a group of persons operating under the name Professional Forex Union Limited or Professional Forex for brevity offering various online financial services and products such as fiduciary management of shares, foreign exchange trading and advice, and other investment products through its website https://proforexunion.com.

To prove its credibility, the firm reportedly also published its Philippine registration documents such as its Certificate of Incorporation and SEC Registration Number in its website which the SEC found not registered.

The SEC-CAR can be reached through telephone numbers 074 442 8171 for reports leading to the scheming activity of said firm. The DTI also encouraged the public to report Professional Forex’s fraudulent transactions through the following telephone numbers: DTI regional office - 442 7859 or 442 8634, DTI-Abra at 074 7527737, DTI-Apayao at 0928785 9631, DTI Baguio-Beguet at 074 6192722 or 174 304 1129, DTI-Ifugao at 074 382 2006, DTI-Kalinga at 074 423 0748 and DTI-Mountain province at 074 602 1047.

These advisories were made in time for

World Consumer Rights Day observed every 15th day of March.

The WCRD was first commemorated in 1983 and became an important annual occasion for mobilizing citizen action and solidarity within the international consumer movement.

The day is an opportunity for promoting basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights be respected and protected and protesting about the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.

The day takes place on 15 March to mark the definition of consumer rights, outlined by US President John F. Kennedy. He was the first world leader to set a vision of consumer rights and he also recognized the importance of consumers as a group.             Kennedy gave the American consumer four basic rights: the right to safety, to choose, to information and to be heard. The aim of WRCD is to celebrate solidarity within the international consumer rights movement. This concept was then adopted worldwide.

The World Consumer Rights Day is organized by Consumers International (CI), which is the world federation of consumer groups that serves as the only independent and authoritative global voice for consumers and was founded in 1960. Currently it has over 220 member organizations in 115 countries around the world.

This year’s theme is “Consumer Justice Now.” In the Cordillera, the DTI Baguio-BenguetOffice  coordinated a  gathering participated in by  consumer organizations, academe, and major players in the business sector.   The assembly discussed s consumer welfare and protection, updates on laws governing consumer rights, and other government programs to ensure consumer education.