Manila, Feb. 12 -- Filipinos traveling abroad are advised to be vigilant against visa scams and fraud by entities promising they can influence approval.

Visa outsourcing firm VFS Global, which handles the visa-related administrative tasks for 28 foreign missions in the Philippines, said visa applications in the country are at "volumes higher than ever before" due to a surge in outbound travel, increasing risk in processing delays.

This, in turn, is being taken advantage of by scammers by posing as embassy associates or VFS Global staff, who make false promises about visa approvals.

In a press conference in Taguig City on Wednesday, VFS Global Head of North Asia and the Philippines Bernard Vijaykumar said the volume of visa applications...