Bacolod City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de La Paz warned the public yesterday against a woman who introduces herself as a Korean national, who, with a cohort, duped a retired teacher in the city and took P400,000 in cash from her.

The complainant, 63, of Talisay City, Negros Occidental whose name the police withheld, said she was roaming in a mall in Brgy. Mandalagan, Bacolod, at about 3 p.m. Tuesday when a man approached her and introduced himself as the friend of her son, who is a seaman abroad.

She said while she was talking to her son’s alleged friend, a woman, who spoke English approached them, introduced herself as a Korean national, and asked for help in operating an Automated Teller machine.

The retired teacher said she and the alleged Korean national rode the car of her son’s alleged friend and they went to the Landbank Gatuslao branch, where she demonstrated how to use the ATM and withdrew P400,000 in cash to demonstrate.

The victim and the alleged Korean national rode the car of her son’s supposed friend and on their way to Talisay, the Korean woman placed her jewelry in a paper bag and asked her to place her money there.

The suspects then left the paper bag with the teacher, and left her somewhere in Talisay telling her to wait until they returned but never did.

When the complainant went home and checked the paper bag, she was shocked to see that it contained cut paper and her money was no longer there, the police said.

On Saturday last week, a Church worker was also swindled of about P230,000 in jewelry also by two women, one of whom introduced herself as a Korean national, in Brgy. Sampinit in Bago City, Negros Occidental, the police said.

De la Paz said they are coordinating with the Bago City police as the suspects who duped the Church worker and those who swindled the retired teacher in Bacolod could be the same persons.

He advised the public that if someone approaches them and asks for help in operating an ATM machine, they should tell that person to ask the help of bank employees, instead.

De la Paz added that, in most cases, the complainants are victimized because they are lured by the suspects with a reward for their help.*APN

back to top