A 24-YEAR-OLD woman from Lapu-Lapu City thought she was investing in a legitimate opportunity she found on Facebook — only to lose her P76,000 savings, which she had been setting aside for two years to buy a high-end cellphone.
The victim, alias Elle, sought help from radio station dyHP, accompanied by her boyfriend, a Criminology student in Cebu City, hoping to recover the amount she sent to the scammer.
Elle said that on July 10, 2025, someone named Patricia Balagtas messaged her and convinced her to join an “investment” scheme promising a 60 percent return in just a short time.
Tempted by the promise of easy returns and eager to finally afford the phone she had long dreamed of, Elle agreed.
She had been saving for two years while studying for a Bachelor of Science in Customs Administration at a major university. Since the investment required only small amounts at first, she was persuaded to give it a try.
She was told to follow a Telegram account under the name Shanaiah Francisco, who, according to Balagtas, would handle her payouts once she completed certain tasks.
Elle filled out a form with all her personal details, including her GCash number, and was even given an initial payment of P120 — making her believe the investment was legitimate.
On July 12, 2025, during her first “welfare event,” she deposited P1,200 and received P1,600 shortly after, reinforcing her belief that the scheme was real.
Shanaiah explained that her next return would be double. Elle was then added to a group chat called MP Digital, which had five members. The other four claimed to have received large earnings and even shared photos of their expensive gadgets and clothes — fueling Elle’s excitement.
That night, she deposited another P1,600 but was told the slot was full and only the P3,500 slot was available. Eager, Elle quickly sent the P3,500. However, she was told the payout would be moved to the morning of July 13 because the handler had already gone to sleep.
Early the next day, Elle was asked to add another P2,500 to her investment to increase her potential earnings. After sending the amount, she was assigned more tasks like liking pages, following accounts, and inviting friends on Facebook.
Despite not yet receiving any profits from her P6,000, she was asked to deposit another P20,000 to continue in the program. Under pressure, Elle sent the money without much thought.
Hoping to eventually receive P50,000, she deposited the amount as instructed — only to be asked again for another P50,000, even though she hadn’t received any returns yet.
At this point, she began to panic as her savings were nearly depleted. In desperation, she even took out a loan from a Facebook loan app to cover the additional amount.
The handler insisted she was the only one who hadn’t deposited yet and pressured her to send the funds via GCash.
That’s when Elle finally realized she had been scammed — especially after her boyfriend told her that her money wasn’t coming back.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she was later asked to send P100,000 more for another “task,” which supposedly would earn her P200,000 in return.
Elle decided to seek help from dyHP and report the scam to the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (Racu) 7, hoping the scammer would be caught and her money returned.
“Wala na ko makahunahuna sir nga scam ba kay ma rattle man ka kay padali-dalion man ka kay naa man toy oras. Ingnun man ka nga nagpaabot na ang tanan, ikaw na lang ang wala maka deposit,” said Elle.
(I didn’t realize it was a scam at first because they pressured me with time. They’d say everyone else has deposited already, and I was the only one left.)
Racu 7 is now investigating the case and coordinating with GCash to trace where Elle’s money was sent. They plan to file charges against the scammer.
Elle admitted her mistake, saying people should never immediately trust anyone who talks about sending money, especially if they pressure you to act quickly.
“Kinahanglan nga dili mosalig og tawo samot nag mag involve og kwarta di ka dapat mosalig og dali ba, og mo deposit man gani ka hunahunaon gyud nimo pag ayo sa makadaghan,” said Elle.
(You should never trust people easily when money is involved. If you’re going to send money, think it over many times.)
She hopes the scammer gets caught — and that somehow, her hard-earned P76,000 can still be recovered. (AYB)
