The Philippine National Police (PNP) acting provincial director of Negros Oriental has cautioned the public anew on the proliferation of hoax calls and text messages from anonymous callers demanding money from unsuspecting victims.
Sr. Supt. Henry Biñas reiterated that people must be wary of such calls or text messages as these are perpetrated by personalities that are difficult to locate considering their anonymity.
Of late, some residents here disclosed receiving communication from persons unknown to them demanding or asking money to be transferred through courier service.
One complainant said she received a call and afterwards text messages from somebody posing as a spokesperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), asking for immediate transfer of money as three “comrades” were sick and needed medical attention.
When reported to the police and the military, it was traced later that the caller’s location was in Davao.
Another resident here who requested anonymity said she received a call and then text messages later from a mobile number unknown to her that she send a specified amount through a money transfer company.
The source said there was a hint of threat that something would happen to her or her family if she did not comply, although afterwards the woman said she found it fishy and did not send the money at all.
Sr. Supt. Biñas advised the public to immediately report incidents such as this to the nearest police station as he further cautioned the people not to provide any personal information to the caller or text-sender.
As this developed, the Dumaguete City police also warned the people against “budol-budol” gangs operating in this capital.
A police report said that a 68-year old retired woman was divested of gold jewelry worth some P100,000.00 and cash amounting to P42,000.00 at a hardware store in Dumaguete City at 1 p.m. Thursday.
Initial police investigation showed that the “budol-budol” or scam involved three female suspects and one male suspect who asked her where they could buy large volumes of hardware items.
The victim apparently went with the suspects to a hardware store here and when they arrived there, a woman posing as a store worker said the store does not accept huge sums of money as payment, the police reported.
One of the suspects handed the victim a pouch to the victim for safekeeping while inside the car, saying it contained money for the purchased hardware.
The suspects then took the victim’s jewelry and cash as collateral and later dropped off the latter at a restaurant along the boulevard.
It was only afterwards when was about to pay the bill that she discovered that the contents of the pouch were only bundles of paper, the police report added. (PNA/JFP)
