The Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Health in the province of Veraguas, revealed that unscrupulous people are posing as inspectors from the National Directorate of Food Control and Veterinary Surveillance to request a payment for the preparation of a supposed restaurant manual.
Roberto Fabrega, regional director of the national directorate of control, food protection and veterinary surveillance, of the MINSA in Veraguas explained that they received 4 complaints and said that said payment is not being demanded.
He added that the fraudsters have requested a sum of money and threaten the owners or administrators of the premises of health interest with fining them up to $5,000 if they do not make said payment.
He emphasized that the method of payment required by the alleged offenders is through a Banco General account and that several merchants have already fallen, while the most suspicious have filed the respective complaints.
“We are investigating this very responsibly because our technical inspectors, all of them, when they go to carry out an inspection at any establishment of food health interest, are duly identified by their card,” he said.
Information from Maria Fajardo.