By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Veteran journalist and publisher Dante Sudaria of Mindanao Daily News and BusinessWeek Mindanao has warned the public against an alleged scam attempt that falsely invoked the name of a police office in Northern Mindanao.
Sudaria said he received a text message from a person claiming to be a police officer assigned at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 10 in Camp Alagar, informing him that a certain “Atty. Ramos” had filed an affidavit complaint against him for estafa or swindling.
According to Sudaria, the sender claimed that several demand letters had allegedly been sent to his office address but went unanswered, prompting the supposed complainant to seek police assistance to verify whether his office was still operational.
“He told me to contact the complainant within 24 hours to negotiate, otherwise the case would be filed before the prosecutor’s office,” Sudaria recounted.
Finding the call suspicious, Sudaria said he challenged the caller and told him he was willing to personally go to Camp Alagar to verify the claim. The caller allegedly became agitated and insisted on his supposed authority.
Suspecting a scam, Sudaria contacted colleagues within the Philippine National Police to verify the identity of the individual.
He reached out to Mike Bustamante, president of the PNP Press Corps, who helped connect him with Major Joan Navarro, information officer of Police Regional Office 10.
Navarro reportedly denied that a Police Master Sergeant Roel Robles — the name used by the sender — was assigned at PRO 10 or connected with the office.
After the verification, Sudaria said the person behind the messages stopped responding to his calls and text messages.
Police officials have repeatedly warned the public about scams in which fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officers or lawyers to intimidate victims into paying money or entering into negotiations under threat of criminal charges.
Sudaria urged business owners, media practitioners and the public to verify any such claims directly with official police hotlines or offices before taking action.
“Scammers are becoming more creative, even invoking government offices. Always verify first,” he said.
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