The Archdiocese of Manila’s Office of Communications has issued a warning against a fake Facebook Account that uses the name of Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.
According to Fr. Roy Bellen of the Office of Commmunications, a fake FB account that uses the name Jose F. Cardinal Advicula is being used by unscrupulous individuals for personal interests.
“The Archdiocese of Manila Office of Communications would like to inform the public that the FB Account with the name Jose F. Cardinal Advicula is not an official acccount nor in anyway connected to the Archbishop of Manila. Please help us report this account that misrepresent the Cardinal and is sadly only being used to sell products for profit,” said Fr. Bellen in a statement.
The priest reminded the public to be cautious and careful with the social media accounts that they follow because there are individuals who use the name of the church, bishops, and priests for their personal gains.
Fr. Bellen likewise reminded the public to think before they click and to be watchful so as to avoid being victimized by fake news.
“We encourage everyone to be very careful in liking, sharing and following dubious accounts that misrepresent church leaders and organizations so as not to aid in the proliferation of false information,” he stressed.
A fake FB account that carried the name of Cardinal Advincula also surfaced shortly after he assumed office as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila in 2021.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, Archbishop Jose Palma, and Bishop Honesto Ongtioco have likewise been victimized by online scammers.
The faithful are reminded to verify with their respective parishes any solicitation or donation letters that they receive online.