Many foreigners are complaining that they are being scammed here in the Philippines by Filipinos. The Philippines possesses a lot of citizens who are doing unlawful crimes because of the poverty.
However, a new thing went viral over the social media sites. This time, it is not the Filipinos who are scamming the foreigners.
A Caucasian man has found ways to scam Filipinos. In a story that was shared by Marybeth Ramos Nave, she warned the public about the scam that has been happening in the area of Manila.
It includes a foreigner who acts out as if he was scammed by a taxi driver losing all of his money. Then, he would ask for help for a cab fare. But then he would trick the helper by letting the cab drop him off a near place. Taking the money from the good people who decided to help him out.
The whole story of how his scam can be read here:
BE AWARE: Male Caucasian Professional Scam Artist by Manila Bay
This incident just happened this morning, January 2, 2016, at around 5am.
Upon arriving at the parking lot near Harbour Square & CCP for the regular Dragonboat training, I noticed a foreigner (not a teammate) wearing the same blue colored shirt as our team and talking to one of our fellow paddlers from across the gate. I thought he could be a newly invited person and I went about my business of putting my things in one corner, until that teammate approached me and said “Kausapin mo nga, mukhang nawawala eh”. So I turned to the guy and asked “What’s the problem?”
He narrated a series of unfortunate events (which for me didn’t add up and raised red flags). One story he shared, along with so many, was, “I was riding a cab and the driver took off with my bag which had 3,000 pesos, and I only have 3 pesos with me. Now I need to walk to C5″.
I replied with: “C5 is on the other side. Do you know how to get there?”
He said: “Can you draw how to get there”.
At this point I turned to my teammates and asked who can draw the directions. One teammate tore a page from her notebook and took out a pen so we could give him specific instructions. Another teammate said, “tumawag nalang tayo ng taxi bayaran nalang natin”. I looked around and no cabs were passing by. One teammate suggested to book Grab Taxi while another said Grab Car would be better because of the fixed rate unlike a cab.
I booked Grab Car for this person. I asked him again for his exact destination. From C5 he changed it to Eastwood Residence Hotel.
The amount that showed up for Grab Car was 392pesos. A bunch of us gathered that amount. While collecting, he said “Thank you very much, I appreciate this, please do not tell the driver what happened to me”-he kept repeating this for me not to tell the driver anything he said (another red flag).
When the car arrived, I opened the door and decided to give the money straight to the driver, but suddenly the guy sat infront and grabbed the money from me and said he will be the one to hand the cash. (Another red flag)
When they left, I called the Grab Car Driver and told him “Kuya hindi po namin kilala yung Tao na yan, tinulungan Lang po namin. Magingat po kayo, balitaan mo ako kung nadrop off na siya”
While waiting, my teammates and I were discussing what happened and we hoped for the best that he wasn’t a scam artist. Approximately 10-15 minutes later, the Grab Car Driver called (I was relieved when he called because I thought to myself, the driver is safe).
The driver said: “Ma’am manloloko nga po siya. Nagpababa siya sa Shell Residences dahil may ipaduplicate na susi. Humingi po ako ng kahit isang daang piso (to pay for the ride), hindi ako binigyan. Humamon nga po ng suntukan. Marunong din magtagalog. Hindi na po bumalik”
I told the driver: “Sir buti nalang okay po kayo, ligtas at hindi kayo sinaktan. Buti malapit lang Ang pinuntahan. Sinumbong niyo po ba sa guards diyan?”
The driver said: “Wala nga po mga guwardiya dito, pero sinabihan ko mga Tao dito”
I said: “Sige po salamat, pasensiya po sa abala at mabuti po ok po kayo”
We ended the conversation by laughing at it, being thankful that no one got hurt and greeting each other A Happy New Year.
Now it’s my turn to share this story. Please be careful especially those who exercise early in the morning and to all fellow paddlers who arrive early for training. This guy knows his way around Manila, will say anything to get you to help him, and he hasn’t been caught yet. Let’s use the power of Social Media to warn our loved ones and innocent people.
How does this scam artist look like: He’s pale white skinned about 5’6 in height, could be in his late thirties to early 40’s.
It’s a New Year and A New Lesson. Be careful guys because people like him exist and pop up when you least expect them. I’m thankful no one got hurt. I hope that 400 pesos gets him decent meals if he needed to scam to earn. Stay safe everyone!
RECENT UPDATE: (here is his photo) A friend saw this post and shared the FB post of another person who encountered him. It’s him but doesn’t have the beard and mustache anymore.
Journalist, James Deakin’s personal encounter with this guy was picked up by When in Manila. http://ift.tt/1PHfnGF
From Dr. Rafael Cabredo of DLSU Manila: “Encountered this scammer several times. First: CCP (vito cruz cor. Roxas), Second: Midas hotel parking lot (along Roxas blvd), Third: near DLSU (along Taft avenue). Looks like his area is within that vicinity. If you see him, report to the authorities.”
About the Grab Car Driver: He has been taken cared of
Source: SizzlingFeed