Bobbie Ongpaucuno recently took to social media to warn netizens against an alleged scammer. Bobbie shared his unfortunate story of being tricked out of around Php 1 million by an interested “investor” he met on Twitter. He began his thread by stating: “The higher you fly, the harder you fall.” That’s what I learned when I met him [redacted] – The fraudster who ruined my life.”
Bobbie continued by explaining how everything began. After connecting on Twitter an offer to invest Php 500,000 into the business was made but declined by Bobbie. Communication was maintained and the alleged scammer was able to earn the trust of Bobbie and his partner.
When Bobbie and his partner were finally at the point they were ready to take up the offer of an investment (through the form of a loan), things started looking shaky:
Still, they decided to believe in the best and push on forward:
That was when the trouble really began:
Having had enough, Bobbie began to act with precaution:
They took it to the authorities and filed legal action:
But even that has not accomplished much. Bobbie shares the aftermath of the situation:
Finally, he ends the thread with a plea:
(3 Filipinos were allegedly scammed then sentenced to prison in Hong Kong)
While Bobbie and his partner have already filed estafa, they are bidding others who have fallen victim to this individual to come forward. They hope to consolidate the grievances so that the might file a class against him as a whole.
They also hope that putting this story out will stop others from falling victim to these schemes. It can be so hard to trust anything on the internet, and people should definitely remain vigilant when conducting business online.
What are some precautions people should take when making deals online?
