INDEPENDENT senatorial candidate and former state auditor Heidi Mendoza yesterday warned the public against a fake Facebook page that cloned her profile picture and name to scam her supporters.
A screengrab of a chat posted on her official account showed the fake page got in touch with one of Mendoza’s supporters regarding the “printing of tarps and flyers.”
Eagle-eyed netizens however noted several red flags regarding the fake account, primarily the fact that it is “Locked” or inaccessible to the public and is listed as held by a male user.
“Beware! Somebody is trying to pull a fast one by using my profile pic and asking for donations. The bogus account is soliciting money supposedly for printing costs (of campaign materials). If you receive a friend request, please report the account,” the former Commission on Audit official said.
Mendoza said her official FB page is always open to the public since she is using it to reach out to voters online to make up for her lack of campaign funds and political machinery.
She also said her supporters have set up a Gmail address for any kind of transactions related to the printing of flyers for her campaign sorties.
“I have only one account. It is public. Please do not accept any Friend Request using my photo but with locked profile. I will not request for money transfers, borrow, or ask for donations via messages,” she said.
While she has received endorsements from former Vice President Leni Robredo and former Senator Leila de Lima, and was adopted in the senatorial slate of 1Sambayan for the 2025 mid-term elections, Mendoza stressed that she intends to remain independent to avoid being identified with any color or political party. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to campaign as an independent? I am running without help from anyone or any party, but I remain convinced in my heart that I have the people’s support,” Mendoza said.
