CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A top official of this city has vowed to declare war against illegal investment schemes proliferating in the city that victimized city residents of their hard-earned money.
City Councilor George Goking, chair of the trade and commerce committee, said this has become alarming as millions of pesos went to the wrong hands as a result of these illegal investment schemes.
"Dako na gyud ni nga problema kay daghan naman kaayo ang nabiktima, Adunay naka-invest of P5 Milyon, 2 Milyon ug daghan pang dagko nga mga kwarta nga gi-invest sa mga biktima. Gani moabot na sa P80 Milyon ang kadako sa kwarta nga nakuha sa mga scammers," he told the media.
Goking revealed that these scammers are using Facebook to lure people from investing. They are reportedly using texts such as "P1000 turns to P1800 in just 10 days" and other related very enticing texts which are too good to be true.
Relative to this, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regional director Patricio Bernales also warned the people all over the region not to be tempted easily with these very enticing offers posted over Facebook.
He said the people should be aware that these are modus operandi of unscrupulous individuals who just want to earn easy money at the expense of people they victimized online. "If your friends or associates offer you this type of investment scheme, do not invest right away. Try to think many times where would these unscrupulous people get the interest which is so big," the NBI official pointed out.
Already, three alleged women scammers in their 20s and 30s surrendered to the regional office of the National Bureau of Investigation two weeks ago for fear of their lives, after irate victims have trooped to their houses to claim their promised return of investments allegedly after 10 days only.
They were identified by NBI head of agents Alex Caburnay as Antonette Sestoso, Mary Ann Villapa, and Wenchelmie Acosta.
But the NBI regional office charged six people of large scale swindling and violation of the Cyber Law, as Antonette Sestoso tagged members of the Pagaspas family as among her alleged cohorts in the reported investment scheme. They were identified as Pablito Pagaspas (father) and two siblings Donie Rose Pagaspas and Kim Pagaspas.
Donie Rose Pagaspas, according to Sestoso was her close friend who acted as her admin while she was in Camiguin for some very important matters, while the father and Kim also received some of the money invested by the victims.
