OPERATIVES OF the Philippine National Police-Anti Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) arrested a woman involved in an internet love scam and a fake buyer victimizing online sellers in recent operations in Pangasinan and Baguio City.
In a statement on Tuesday, PNP-ACG chief Brig. Gen. Joel Doria said Warlyn Tan Castro, 58, was arrested by operatives of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit Cordillera (RACU-COR) in San Carlos City, Pangasinan on Oct. 21.
Castro has a standing arrest warrant issued by the Baguio City Regional Trial Court Branch 60.
According to the victim, he met Castro through the social media app Facebook, where she posed as a member of the US Army.
The two eventually had an online relationship, with the suspect convincing the victim to settle in the Philippines.
Sometime in May, the suspect told the victim that he is to receive a package from her containing a huge amount of money which they can use to start a business together when she arrives in the country.
She told the victim that he must keep the money for her.
However, Castro told the victim that the package was intercepted upon its arrival as it contained a huge amount of money which is illegal.
She asked the victim to pay PHP250,000 for the release of the package.
The victim was able to send PHP65,000 to the suspect and due to his eagerness to be able to complete the required payment for the release of the package, he borrowed money from his cousin.
The victim said his cousin told him that he is a victim of a romance scam/package scam, prompting him to report the incident at RACU COR that eventually led to the arrest after an entrapment in claiming the money from the remittance center.
“As more and more people are engaging in online dating, ACG reminds you to be very careful and look for signs of red flags. When your virtual girlfriend/boyfriend suddenly asks for money, think again. You might be a victim of a romance scam,” Doria said.
The suspect is now in custody and charged with swindling/estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.
In Baguio City, an online seller sought the help of the PNP-ACG, after she was duped by a customer who turned out to be a "fake buyer".
Doria identified the suspect as Jessiebel Pumeg-as, 33, of Old Lucban, Happy Homes, Baguio City who was arrested in an entrapment on Oct. 22.
The complainant, Aiza Faye Fernandez, alleged that the suspect is one of her regular customers in her ‘online live selling’ where the latter ordered bags several times from the victim.
However, on Oct. 21, the suspect ordered another package of assorted bags from the complainant with a supposed downpayment amounting to PHP6,900. The suspect reportedly sent an altered proof of successful transactions to the victim.
When no notifications were received by the victim from her digital wallet, she checked all her previous 14 transactions with Pumeg-as.
It was only then that she realized that the suspect has scammed her in the amount of PHP23,000 in total, prompting her to report the incident to the RACU COR.
“With the advent of modern technology, almost everyone is into the internet. Some engage themselves in ‘online businesses’ while others devise new ways and means how to steal your hard-earned money. We often hear cases where people are victimized by ‘fake sellers’, this time, however, it’s the other way around,” Doria said. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)
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