News of the Dugo-dugo gang has been going around for several years now. We’re pretty sure there is more than one gang operating with this modus. Which is why we would like to once again remind everyone to be extra vigilant. Moreover, make sure you discuss this with your maid/helpers as they are also victimized by this modus.
Just recently, Mica F. shares her horrifying experience with the Dugo-dugo gang.
A WARNING to all: DUGO-DUGO GANG [PLEASE READ and share!]
Number of culprit: 0915-3818672 | SMART Padala number: 5577519347125107
I noticed my Mom Grace’s cabinet slightly opened this afternoon, a few minutes after I ate lunch. Before eating breakfast, I locked the said cabinet, so I checked on it to figure out how it was opened. The hook that locked the cabinet had come off, so I called up our maid to ask if she had opened it (note: our maids are not permitted to do this, but I was mystified at what happened). She said she did not know how it had occurred, and went downstairs.
To check if everything was still intact, my sister looked at her wallet and noticed that all the money, aside from the coins, was gone. I asked my mom if she took the money, and she said she did not. She called me and asked me to double-check if her money was still present. Her cash was nowhere to be seen. My sister, mom, and I were agitated. Moments later, our maid knocked on the door, pleading for us to open it as she had something to confess. I reluctantly opened the door and found her in a state of distress.
She said she was not the kind of person who would do such a thing. When I asked her to narrate what happened, she told me that somebody called our telephone number saying my mom had been involved in a car accident and was in the hospital. My “mom” allegedly talked to our maid, but in a different voice, and handed the phone on to another woman because my “mom” was in pain. The person told our maid that she will just call our maid’s mobile number so that my sister and I won’t be suspicious. The woman “read” a letter with my “mom”‘s instructions on it, telling the maid NOT to inform us, her children, that our “mom” had been in an accident because we might panic. The person on the phone told her to FORCE OPEN the cabinet so she could get the money, then ride a tricycle to the SMART Padala branch near the palengke to have the money delivered. The woman on the phone also told our maid that she will give her the SMART Padala number when she reaches the branch. She insisted that if our maid does not give the money, our “mom” will be sent to prison for injuring someone else.
HERE IS WHERE IT GETS SHADY: Nobody knew our maid’s name except for our family and our previous maid who was her neighbor. Nobody also knew our maid’s cellphone number aside from our mom, our maid’s husband, and our previous maid’s father. But the culprit knew all these. The culprit also knew my mom’s name, my name (and even pronounced it correctly), where I studied, and my dad’s name.
I took our maid’s phone as the culprit called her incessantly. The culprit then called our telephone which I answered. I pretended to be a kasambahay named Jane. She asked for my dad, but I said he wasn’t there. She sounded well-educated, but was a bit rude. The telephone rang again, now asking for our maid, but I said she wasn’t there and kept my Jane persona. The voice of the caller sounded very different from the first.
When my dad got home, we listened to our maid’s conversation with the culprit: our maid said that she was already at the branch and was about to send the money. She only needed the SMART Padala number, and so the woman dictated it to her. We were able to record this conversation.
We went to the nearest SMART Padala branch to try to deposit one peso, hoping that this would lead us to the culprit, but SMART Padala could not disclose any information. We also went to the barangay hall to file a complaint and a blotter.
We hope that this will serve as a warning to always be vigilant. May God bless us all.
On a different note, a similar incident happened to my tutee’s parents several years ago. I was in their house having my private tutoring session with their kid when panic ensued. The mom was going ballistic when she found out one of their helpers had left the house bringing a box of jewelries to meet up with an imposter. She was so scared for what they might do to this longtime and trusted helper. Luckily, the helper came back safe a few hours later. She shared that she rode a cab to the pick-up point but was afraid to go down as it was really dark. The cab driver on the other hand was kind enough to stay with her until they both just decided to go back home.
That being said, please let this serve once again as a reminder to be extra vigilant. These thing can happen to anyone at any point in time, our best defense would be our readiness and vigilance.
Know of similar cases? Please share this and warn your friends and family.. ESPECIALLY the helpers who might be victimized by this stunt.
