ILOILO CITY -- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Western Visayas on Friday warned the public against falling prey to the so-called “love scams” on the social networking platform, Facebook.
“They would pretend to be interested in you to be a girlfriend or a boyfriend,” Special Investigator III Rojun Hosillos said of the modus operandi.
Hosillos made the warning following an incident on Thursday, when an elderly man from Iloilo made a complaint to his office after falling victim to the scam. He said a military woman contacted the victim.
The investigator said the modus is that they will initially get to know their victim and later on pursue them.
When the suspect establishes a relationship over the web, he or she will inform the victim that a package containing money, jewelry, gold or appliances from abroad, is on its way.
After three days, the victim will get a call from an alleged “Customs personnel” that a package has arrived but they could not release it because it is an illegal package, supposedly containing cash or valuables. When the prospective victim negotiates, the alleged Customs personnel will ask for some amount of money for the package to be released.
Another call is then made, saying a “higher official of the Customs” is demanding for more money.
Hosillos said the victim, whom he did not name, deposited PHP90,000 in a bank in two transactions -- PHP30,000 first and then PHP60,000. The money was in exchange for USD1 million allegedly sent through the package.
“They will demand more money and more money until you bleed. They are operating on our greed,” he said.
He said it is a fact that it is prohibited to transport money in packages and rich people have other means of transporting money, goods and jewelry.
The scammers target no particular age group, Hosillos said.
He said the NBI has coordinated with the concerned bank to possibly recover the money but the bank secrecy in the Philippines is making it difficult for them.
“In our previous cases, the accounts were created with fake identification so we are always at the dead end,” he said.
To prevent from falling victim, he advised against what he calls “anonymity on the web.”
“We don’t really know whom we are talking to at the other side of the computer. If we don’t even entertain people visiting our house in person, why would we be entertaining people we don’t even know? The general rule always is if it is always too good to be true, it must be bad,” he said.
Hosillos urged victims of the "love scam" to immediately get in touch with the NBI or the Philippine National Police for appropriate action.
He also said minimizing one's “greed” reduces the possibility of being victimized. (PNA)
