BI intercepts passenger with assumed identity

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration intercepted a 35-year-old woman from Sulu who attempted to depart the country using shared identity – a form of identity theft the BI said is a recurring issue among aspiring overseas workers from far-flung provinces.

The BI said the passenger, who attempted to board an AirAsia flight from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, was barred from leaving the country on Nov. 24.

According to immigration officers, they noticed a 2020 Philippine departure stamp on her passport, which turned out to be a counterfeit.

Further verification showed that the passenger’s travel history did not match official records.

The BI said that although the woman’s passport and birth certificate were genuine, her facial image did not match the biometric record.

Previous travel entries under her name also bore a different image.

Authorities said these findings indicate she was using an assumed or shared identity, a scheme in which people borrow or interchange documents with relatives in the hope that resemblance or family ties will help them bypass formal travel requirements.

“This is not the first time we have seen shared identity cases. Some individuals, especially from remote areas, mistakenly believe they can share passports or personal documents with relatives to facilitate travel. What they do not realize is that this is identity theft, a serious offense that can lead to criminal charges and possible long-term harm to the real document owner,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

“Using someone else’s identity or allowing others to use yours puts you and your family at risk,” he added, as he urged the public to stop participating in these practices.