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“Too Good to be True” (and How to Spot Scams)

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Tagalog Version (Click Here)

Some time ago my mother discovered a real estate investment opportunity. A luxury resort was accepting investors, so for the price of around P200,000, you can own a room at the resort and get a share of the profit whenever you rent it out. In my opinion, it sounded like a decent deal. It was somewhat risky as we don’t know how much business that new resort will get and the location might not be that good.

I had my doubts especially when they didn’t immediately send us the terms and conditions of the contract and they only gave us a brochure, but our family did have money for it. After my mother sent the first deposit and she started asking about the full terms, the representative finally told her the details. We’ll get to use or rent out a room… for one week every two years. We’ll also need to pay some maintenance fees every month.

That’s no investment. That was a scam! It was WAY different from the “own a resort room and rent it out” deal that the first promoter said. It was blatant false advertising. Although my mother couldn’t withdraw the initial P18,000 deposit, we were glad to have exited that scam before things got worse.

Well, that was just one example of a scam. What does it mean when something seems “too good to be true”? Let’s talk about the most popular kinds of scams here in the Philippines next.

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Isang Araw May Mga Sumubok Manloko sa Akin…

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Bago maglakbay sa ibang bansa, inuuna ko palaging magbasa tungkol sa mga scams o “modus” at mga krimen sa lugar na iyon na kailangan naming iwasan. Mula sa mga taxi na may napakabibilis na metro, mga mandurukot, at mga overpriced na bar, mahihilig gumamit ng iba’t ibang modus ang mga kriminal para makuha ang pera ng kanilang mga biktima. Sa article kong ito, ikukuwento ko ang isang beses kung saan may mga sumubok manloko sa akin noong mas bata pa ako.

Ngayong nagbabalik tanaw ako sa karanasang iyon, naiisip ko na napakaraming mali sa ginagawa nila. Hindi ko alam kung mayroon talaga silang naloko. Nakakatuwa pa rin ang alaalang iyon kaya nais ko itong ikuwento sa inyo.

Yung isang panahong may sumubok manloko sa akin…

Inosenteng college freshman pa lang ako noong panahong iyon, at naaalala ko ito dahil dala dala ko pa ang malaking green na plastik duffel bag ko. Isa ako dating “sheltered” (protektado palagi ng mga magulang) na iskolar at wala pang isang taon ang nakakalipas mula noong nakapagtapos ako ng highschool. Kahit alam ko mang may mga manloloko sa mundo, hindi ko maisip na tatargetin nila ako. Isa lang kasi akong mahirap na financial aid scholar, hindi isang mayamang turista o negosyante.

Naaalala ko pa na sa araw na iyon maaga akong nakalabas ng klase. Mainit ang panahon noon. Nasa huling bahagi na ako ng aking commute papauwi at kinailangan ko na lang maglakad nang ilang minuto para makarating sa bahay. Ala-una ng hapon noon kaya kahit naglalakad ako sa tabi ng isang popular na highway na malapit sa isang mall, walang masyadong tao sa oras na iyon.

Habang tinatawid ko ang isang konkretong tulay papunta sa aking bahay, may sumunod sa aking isang matanda. Nakasuot siya ng baseball cap, t-shirt, at maong shorts at habang sinasabayan niya ako sinabi niya…

“Uy, nakita mo ba yung foreigner na nakahulog ng singsing?”

Doon nagsimula ang isang pinabobong modus na naranasan ko.

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The Time Some People Tried to Scam Me…

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Tagalog Version (Click Here)

Before I travel to any new country, I always check for common scams and crimes that my family and I should watch out for. From taxis with overcharging meters, pickpockets, and overpriced bar scams, criminals use all sorts of ploys to grab some quick cash from unsuspecting victims. For this article, I’ll tell you about one time some people tried to scam me when I was way younger.

Looking back at it. there were so many things wrong with their attempt that I don’t know if they ever fooled anyone with it. It was still a very interesting experience, however, so I wanted to share it with you all.

The time some people tried to scam me…

I was a young and innocent college freshman when it happened, and I remember because I was still carrying that big green plastic duffel bag that I first used college. I was a sheltered scholar boy less than a year out of high school back then so although I knew there were scammers out there, I never thought any of them would try to target me. After all, I was just some poor financial aid scholar, not some rich tourist or businessman.

Anyway, I remember that on the day it happened, I got out of class very early on that hot and dry summer afternoon. I was already at the last section of my commute home, and I only needed to walk a few minutes to get to my home. It was around 1pm at that time so although I was walking along a busy highway near a mall, there weren’t a lot of people around.

Midway through crossing a concrete bridge on the way to my house, an old man wearing a baseball cap, a t-shirt, and denim shorts started walking alongside me and said…

“Hey, did you see the foreigner who dropped that gold ring?”

That was the start of the clumsiest scam attempt I have ever experienced.

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Ang Pinakamasamang Sales Strategy na Naranasan Ko

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English Version (Click Here)

Nagsimula ito sa tanong nilang “gusto mo bang manalo ng libreng kotse?”

Noong nasa kolehiyo pa ako at nag-aaral ng psychology, pumunta ako sa SM Megamall sa Metro Manila, Philippines upang sumama sa isang convention. Mga 6pm na noong nagsimula ang mga nangyari dito. Habang naglalakad ako sa mga matataas na palapag ng mall kung saan mo mahahanap ang mga art galleries, travel agencies, at convention centers, nadaanan ko ang isang malaking booth na napapaligiran ng mga taong naka-business attire. Ang isang medyo matabang babae na sa palagay ko ay mukhang 30 years old ay tumiwalag mula sa grupo at tinanong ako kung gusto ko bang manalo ng libreng kotse.

Interesado nga naman ako, pero alam ko namang hindi ko sila dapat pagkatiwalaan ng husto. Hindi nga ito scam, pero hindi ko noon alam na papasukin ko pala ang isa sa pinakamasamang sales strategy na mararanasan ko.

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The Worst Sales Strategy I’ve Ever Experienced

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Tagalog Version (Click Here)

It all started with “do you want to win a free car?”

Several years ago when I was in college studying psychology, I went to SM Megamall in Metro Manila, Philippines to attend a convention. It was around 6pm when it happened. While walking at the top floors of the mall where art galleries, travel agencies, and convention centers are located, I happened to pass by a large booth surrounded by a group of people in business attire. One portly woman who looked to be in her 30s broke off from the group to approach me and asked if I wanted to win a free car.

I was certainly interested, yet I knew enough not to trust them completely. While it wasn’t a scam or anything, I had no idea I was about to walk into one of the worst sales strategies that I have ever experienced yet.

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