Gov’t office discovers rash of phony permits

By The Star Staff

The Permits Management Office (OGPe by its Spanish acronym) has discovered a wave of fake permits, officials said Wednesday.

OGPe’s Customer Service Division has seized more than 100 false permits and is alert to a fraud scheme in the issuance of permits processed by certain individuals who identify themselves as managers but are not.

The information was provided by OGPe Assistant Secretary Gabriel Hernández. The entity is part of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.

“The falsification of permits, an illegal practice, is becoming more frequent among citizens who manage various Single Permit or Single Home Permit procedures,” Hernández said. “This type of permit is granted for the operation of an accessory use carried out by the members of a family as established by the Joint Regulation 2020.”

In practice, the citizen who obtains such a fraudulent permit becomes aware of the scheme when he manages any other paperwork in a government agency or in the renewal process. Those individuals who identify themselves as managers alter the permit legally granted and registered to another business or home.

“Every permit granted by the OGPe always has a QR Code at the bottom, so a citizen must check that the information is valid and correct,” the official said.

In addition, citizens can find manuals for processing permits and information about the basic process of the Single Permit and requirements.

The agency is asking citizens to report any fraud scheme to the Puerto Rico Police and/or OGPe by calling the number 787-758-4747, extensions 5103, 5284, 5294, 5608, or through the email: serviciosalclientepermisos@ddec.pr.gov