Writing a Company Clarification Statement in the Philippines After Impersonation or Misinformation

First decide: a public statement or targeted notices?

Not every misunderstanding deserves a public statement. A public notice tells many people who knew nothing about the problem, so start by judging how far it has spread. A public statement is justified when impersonators are openly soliciting on social media, several customers have been deceived or are asking questions, the story has been picked up by media or large accounts, or a government agency may become involved. Where only a handful of customers are affected, or the rumour is confined to a small circle, written notices to the customers and partners concerned are usually the better tool.

Be clear about which kind of statement you are writing. A clarification says this was not us. An apology says this was our fault. The wording and the legal risks are entirely different, and the two should never be mixed in one document. If the company or a person genuinely did something wrong and needs to apologise publicly, see how to write a public apology. When the issue started with negative media coverage, the order of archiving first and responding second is covered in company named in a local news report.

A third common case is when the company has withdrawn the authority of a former employee, agent or local manager and needs the outside world to know that person no longer represents it. This notice of termination of authority is also a clarification statement, but it must additionally state the date the authority ended and who signs for the company from now on. How to withdraw the authority internally is covered in local manager misused the authority.

Whichever kind you are dealing with, write a short private summary of the facts and evidence before drafting anything public. That summary keeps the statement accurate and gives your lawyer something concrete to check.

Five elements of a usable statement

A clarification statement that actually works usually contains five elements. The first is the speaker: the company's full registered name and registration number, so readers know which company is talking. The second is the matter being clarified: name the specific website, social media account, phone number or person that is not the company and has no authority from it, describing names or identifying features rather than saying vaguely that there are impostors online.

The third is a way to verify. Tell readers how to confirm they are dealing with the real company, for example that it publishes only through one website and named official accounts, that genuine payments go only into accounts in the company's own name, and what features genuine documents carry. The fourth is a single point of contact: one fixed email address or postal address for anyone affected, together with a note that the company will cooperate with the authorities.

The fifth is the date and signature. Show when the statement was issued and have it signed by someone authorised to speak for the company. With all five elements present, readers understand it, and platforms and government offices are more willing to rely on it when you ask them to act.

Keep it to one page. Shorter is better and specific is better. A statement that tries to tell the whole story invites argument; one that sets out the facts people need to protect themselves rarely does.

Before publishing, test the statement on someone outside the company. If they cannot tell within a minute which accounts are fake and how to reach the real company, it needs rewriting.

Wording limits: state provable facts, and avoid these four kinds of sentence

Wording is where statements most often go wrong. The rule is simple: state only facts the company can prove. You can write that a particular account has no connection with the company and that the company has never authorised it to collect payments. Do not write that a named person is a fraudster or ran off with the money, even if you are convinced it is true. A named accusation that turns out to be inaccurate can expose the company to a claim for libel or cyber libel.

The second thing to avoid is speculation about motive or character, such as saying someone acted out of revenge or bad faith. The third is promising to compensate or bear losses, for example announcing that the company will cover all losses, which can be read as an admission of responsibility. The fourth is over-reassurance, such as promising it will never happen again; if it does, the statement destroys your credibility instead of protecting it.

If you must mention a person, for example a former employee who no longer represents the company, state only the objective facts: that the person has not been an employee or agent since a stated date, and that their actions after that date are not the company's. Give no reason for their departure and no judgement of them.

If you are unsure about any phrase, have a lawyer look at it before publication. That costs far less than dealing with a complaint about the statement afterwards.

Remember that screenshots of your statement can circulate long after you edit or remove it, so get the wording right the first time.

Which languages, which channels: reach the people who might be deceived

Choose the language for the audience. If most of your customers are local, lead with English and add a Filipino version where it helps. If most are Chinese-speaking, publish a Chinese version alongside it. Keep the versions identical in substance and state which language prevails, so that translation differences cannot be exploited.

Publish in this order of priority: a prominent notice on the company website's homepage or announcements page; a pinned post on official social media accounts; direct written notice to affected customers and partners; and, on the platforms where impersonators are active, submission through the platform's reporting process. Getting fake domains and websites taken down is covered in taking down a fake website impersonating your company.

Newspaper notices or paid advertisements are not usually necessary. They are worth considering when a large section of the public is involved or your lawyer advises a more formal announcement.

After publishing, keep screenshots, links and the time of posting for every channel. You will need them if you report the matter to the police, appeal to a platform or face a dispute later, and they show that the company acted promptly once it knew.

Tell your own staff about the statement before it goes out, especially anyone who answers phones, chats or the front desk. Give them the same wording and the same official contact details, so that customers who call to check receive a consistent answer. Inconsistent replies from staff are one of the fastest ways for an impersonator to regain credibility. Consider also sending the statement to the association or chamber your company belongs to, since members often warn each other through those channels.

Notarise or not, and when an affidavit is needed

A clarification posted on the company website and social media generally does not need to be notarised. Notarisation, or putting the facts into a sworn affidavit, is usually needed when the document will be submitted to an institution: appealing to a platform for a takedown, telling a bank that a particular receiving account has nothing to do with the company, filing a police or regulatory complaint, or using it as evidence in litigation. Follow the requirements of the receiving institution.

The usual approach is an affidavit of facts by the company's authorised representative, supported by a board resolution or secretary's certificate confirming the person may speak for the company. How affidavits are prepared and where to get them done is covered in affidavits in the Philippines.

The public statement and the affidavit must say the same thing. Do not tell the public one story and an institution another. Build a single factual timeline with its evidence first, then adapt it into a public version and a submission version.

Where several institutions need the affidavit, ask each one in advance whether it wants an original, a certified copy or a fresh document addressed to it. Asking first saves repeat trips to the notary.

Keep a set of signed originals in the Philippines rather than abroad. When an institution asks at short notice, an original that is already in the country can be delivered the same day, while one held overseas can cost you weeks while the impersonation continues.

If the facts change, for example a new fake account appears, prepare a fresh or supplementary affidavit rather than editing the old one by hand. Altered sworn documents are usually rejected.

A sample structure, and how YIXING can help

A structure you can adapt: a title such as statement that a particular account or website is not connected with the company; a first paragraph giving the company's full name and registration number and explaining that the following accounts or persons have recently used its name; a second paragraph listing each of them and stating that the company never authorised them; a third paragraph explaining how to verify and naming the company's only official channels; a fourth paragraph asking anyone affected to contact a named email and stating that the company will cooperate with the authorities; then the date and signature.

YIXING Travel Consultancy (SEC registration CS202009551, Bureau of Immigration accredited agent CA-202624381-1) provides compliance retainer services for foreign-owned companies. We help put together the timeline and evidence of an impersonation incident, draft the English and Chinese statement, arrange notarisation of affidavits and secretary's certificates, assist with submissions to platforms and agencies, and bring in a licensed lawyer to review the wording.

We are not a law firm, we do not give opinions on defamation risk and we do not promise how any platform or agency will respond. If you have just discovered the impersonation, take screenshots, list the customers affected, and finalise the statement with a lawyer and us, rather than posting an emotional reply on social media first.

For individual cases, consult a licensed lawyer; this article is not legal advice.

If the impersonation is still going on, we can also help monitor the main platforms for new accounts using the company name for an agreed period, so that each one is reported quickly and the statement can be updated if the pattern changes.