THE Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP) has condemned the actions of unscrupulous persons who are reportedly impersonating its staff and soliciting monies from disadvantaged persons under the guise of helping them fill out the COVID-19 application forms.

It is reported that this nefarious act is prevalent in several Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) communities, the ministry said in a release. It is alleged that individuals are asking residents to provide their national identification cards and other personal information on behalf of the MoSP.

“The ministry has not authorised anyone to manually fill the forms. The only two options available are (1) to fill the form online or (2) contact the toll-free numbers 665-2271; 615-9990; 615-9507 or 615-945 where assistance would be given. Additional numbers can be found on the ministry’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mospgy.” Residents are advised to contact 227-4410 or 225-6545 or make contact with the nearest police station in Region Six to make a report should they have an encounter with any of these individuals. These reports will be investigated and addressed swiftly.