When In Manila, exploring the streets of the city can be equal parts exciting and terrifying, no thanks to the different kinds of scams that proliferate left and right, preying on unsuspecting civilians. And just when we think we know better, taking to heart all the warnings and stories we’ve read online, these scams also get more creative, changing form every chance they get.
This experience of a certain netizen is no exception– after reading the story carefully, you may notice that it follows the pattern of a classic budol-budol scam, with the scammers trying to con the victim into trusting them to hand over their belongings so easily, allegedly through hypnotism. Budol-budol gangs’ sophistication in their schemes lie in appealing to the victims’ emotions (by pretending to be a victim of a modus, or as an old family friend), or by claiming to be part of respected institutions to appear “credible”.
In this scenario, which took place at SM North EDSA, the con artists claimed to be students from the University of the Philippines launching a supposed signature campaign against hazing.
You may read the story in full below:
Always be careful when talking to strangers, and get out of the scene immediately when you sense something is wrong.
What do you think of this? Have any similar experiences?
