This story should serve as a warning to everyone who thinks that they can easily find their lifelong partner, lover and future soul mate in social networking sites. There are some cases that online lovers are successfully matched, but more often than not, criminal elements will take advantage of the situation that knows very few regulations.
One example of how criminal syndicates operate are best captured by this story about a single mother who truly believed he is doing something noble by helping a foreigner who she thought would become part of her life forever. In the end, she incurred nearly PhP 5 million in debt after being scammed by a fake Internet suitor.
According to an ABS-CBN News report, "Maricel" (not her real name), 58, used to run a successful money lending business that allowed her to send her three kids to school. "Nagpapautang ako ng pera sa mga pulis at sundalo atsaka civilian din. Basta lumapit," she said.
With her earnings, she bought a house, empty lot and car for the family. However, as a solo parent, she also wanted to find a rich foreigner and marry him.
In 2011, an alleged foreigner from London identifying himself as "George" befriended her on the social networking site Facebook.
"George" started courting Maricel, saying that he wanted to come to the Philippines and marry her.
He also claimed to have money.
"May pera daw siya sa UK. $2.5 million. Sa pera natin 112 million pesos," she said in an interview on ABS-CBN Bistado.
Instead of coming to the Philippines, Maricel got a private message on Facebook that said George was hospitalized and was in a coma.
A "friend" of George said the foreigner left his money to Maricel. The catch: she had to send 60,000 pesos to get the money.
Several people then contacted her and said George had sent two boxes to her.
"Nakipagkita pa ako sa Malate. Ang kailangan daw 675,000 pesos," she said.
Maricel said she kept paying via money transfer in the hopes that she would get the alleged boxes sent by George. She also started pawning her things.
"Mga alahas, mga gamit sa bahay. Kulang kulang 3 milyon. May interes pa yun aabot na ng P5 milyon," she said.
Jenny, one of Maricel's daughters, said they only found out about the scam when their mother said she had pawned the house. "Nakasangla daw yung bahay. Siyempre nakakapanghinayang," she said.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has so far listed 48 victims of the Internet love scam nationwide from January to July of this year.
One example of how criminal syndicates operate are best captured by this story about a single mother who truly believed he is doing something noble by helping a foreigner who she thought would become part of her life forever. In the end, she incurred nearly PhP 5 million in debt after being scammed by a fake Internet suitor.
According to an ABS-CBN News report, "Maricel" (not her real name), 58, used to run a successful money lending business that allowed her to send her three kids to school. "Nagpapautang ako ng pera sa mga pulis at sundalo atsaka civilian din. Basta lumapit," she said.
With her earnings, she bought a house, empty lot and car for the family. However, as a solo parent, she also wanted to find a rich foreigner and marry him.
In 2011, an alleged foreigner from London identifying himself as "George" befriended her on the social networking site Facebook.
"George" started courting Maricel, saying that he wanted to come to the Philippines and marry her.
He also claimed to have money.
"May pera daw siya sa UK. $2.5 million. Sa pera natin 112 million pesos," she said in an interview on ABS-CBN Bistado.
Instead of coming to the Philippines, Maricel got a private message on Facebook that said George was hospitalized and was in a coma.
A "friend" of George said the foreigner left his money to Maricel. The catch: she had to send 60,000 pesos to get the money.
Several people then contacted her and said George had sent two boxes to her.
"Nakipagkita pa ako sa Malate. Ang kailangan daw 675,000 pesos," she said.
Maricel said she kept paying via money transfer in the hopes that she would get the alleged boxes sent by George. She also started pawning her things.
"Mga alahas, mga gamit sa bahay. Kulang kulang 3 milyon. May interes pa yun aabot na ng P5 milyon," she said.
Jenny, one of Maricel's daughters, said they only found out about the scam when their mother said she had pawned the house. "Nakasangla daw yung bahay. Siyempre nakakapanghinayang," she said.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has so far listed 48 victims of the Internet love scam nationwide from January to July of this year.
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