Pinay in Oman loses P180k to crime syndicate

A Filipina receptionist in Oman had lost $4,200 (nearly P180,000) after being duped by a suspected crime syndicate masquerading as members of a social networking site, news site Muscat Daily reported on Tuesday. The report said that earlier this month, the victim, whose real identity was unidentified in the report, was befriended by a man who introduced himself as Mark Donard, a widower from the United Kingdom. They exchanged telephone calls and messages for about two weeks until Donard suddenly told the Filipina that he needed to travel to Malaysia to secure debts owed to his deceased father, the report added. Muscat Daily said Donard asked the Filipina to help him raise the amount. Donard should come up with at least 10 percent of the total sum owed to his father “to access all the funds from creditors," it added. The victim eventually acceded to Donard’s request and sent him money from her savings. The Filipina said Donard would meet her after finishing the transaction in Malaysia. “He said he will meet me in Oman. He said he was willing to pay any amount of interest. His mother even spoke to me and begged me for the money," according to the Filipina. The Filipina recounted that she first sent Donard a total of $2,600 via Western Union. “[Donard] then said he needed more, and whatever I had would be of help," she said, noting that she raised more funds and wired some $1,600 to Donard. Another character charade Having obtained a total of $4,200, the gang planned “another character to the charade" when a man claiming to be from the Malaysian immigration office called the Filipina, saying Donard had been detained at an airport, the report said. “People pretending to be from the Malaysian immigration still contact[ed] me, saying that they need $2,000 in order to release Mark. I am getting calls from Mark as well," she said, according to the report. The Filipina realized that she had been probably conned by a syndicate, which she suspects is based in Malaysia. She said that although the case had been handed over to the Malaysian and British embassies in Muscat, she is not hopeful of retrieving her money. “For me, it isn’t about whether or not I can get my money back. I just want to make sure these people are caught and warn others against being taken in by such scams," she pointed out. — JE, GMA News