Post your experience with scams being run against expats and others

Philippine Destiny wrote:

This is a very important topic for expats, as we are often a prized target for scammers.

Post your experience with scams out there in your everyday life and in the course of doing your personal business here in the Philippines.

Also post any scams that you have spotted in this and other forums you may have been a part of.

These things need to have light shed upon them so the scammers know that they have nowhere to hide.

Everyday if I were just to "SMILE" a little too much i'd likely be scammed here!

(KAPA investment for one was the last I dealt with just a month ago!...where thousands of locals/expats lost money!)
I was lucky i did not invest even a centiavo...(too good to be true type investments)....but many many of my immediate neighbours/in-laws (n.o) were not so lucky!
There are so many others...that I will like to discuss later & Thanks again PD for bringing this up for the benefit of all concerned!

Another dangerous fact is that even locally NOTARIZED *fake certificates fm local universities were being used to gain employment in Singapore.
A huge Investigation is being carried out now!

manwonder wrote:

Philippine Destiny wrote:

This is a very important topic for expats, as we are often a prized target for scammers.

Post your experience with scams out there in your everyday life and in the course of doing your personal business here in the Philippines.

Also post any scams that you have spotted in this and other forums you may have been a part of.

These things need to have light shed upon them so the scammers know that they have nowhere to hide.

Everyday if I were just to "SMILE" a little too much i'd likely be scammed here!

(KAPA investment for one was the last I dealt with just a month ago!...where thousands of locals/expats lost money!)
I was lucky i did not invest even a centiavo...(too good to be true type investments)....but many many of my immediate neighbours/in-laws (n.o) were not so lucky!
There are so many others...that I will like to discuss later & Thanks again PD for bringing this up for the benefit of all concerned!

My wife informs me that a lot of the beggars are deployed by syndicates that send them out in droves. They tug at your heart strings, but your help may not be helping anyone.

We have been approached by various people running various cons over the years.

Once in a mall a little boy approached us and asked if he could be out house helper. We later learned that a man (not his father) was putting him up to this. I shutter to think of what would happen to anyone who falls for it.

A lot of investment scams of many kinds.

Many many scams being run based upon land and making promises to foreigners about land titles.

I used to use the Globe scammer report a lot. They shut down the # of text scammers.

I will not use it anymore until they fix their https certificate
[link under review]

you will see that your information is not encrypted when you send it

manwonder wrote:

Another dangerous fact is that even locally NOTARIZED *fake certificates fm local universities were being used to gain employment in Singapore.
A huge Investigation is being carried out now!

You can find attorneys who will notarize a document stating that you are the king of Spain.

Yours truly  "FIXERS" : Are a different degree of  a 'Scam Artist'.

manwonder wrote:

Yours truly  "FIXERS" : Are a different degree of  a 'Scam Artist'.

they are misnamed

"Express Lanes" : Express my @×#=%%!

Water...I'm being charged 187p for max 10m3/mth...I hardly even get 7m3/mth....whats that called?

Now I DON'T smile outdoors!

The free tourist sim card at airport then they  say you need to pay 500 or 1k when the card gives you 300 mb and it says free ... well i just get my girl top mine up when i get there ...

Jackdn wrote:

The free tourist sim card at airport then they  say you need to pay 500 or 1k when the card gives you 300 mb and it says free ... well i just get my girl top mine up when i get there ...

Good point Jackdn....how abt some basic uninterrupted/reasonably priced wifi for a change?

Sometimes its the poor/uneducated folk who really suffer the most & in silence!
So what we face may not be as bad!
Jus be wise/careful & Smile less!

It would be dangerous to talk about a lot of it. A lot of people do not fear God.

Some people may get angry with what I say!...but its related to this topic!
It was much worse when I first came here in 2011-2012 (especially at airports : when arriving/departing), but ever since the current President Duterte came to power many of these "things in your face" have been reduced significantly so I'd give him credit where credit's due!

All these scams, Kapa etc are for the whole population not just the foreigners.

One scam targeting only the foreigners is the drugged orange juice given to you by a nice woman. When you wake up, you will have nothing left. Sometimes that drug makes you simply follow the orders of the bad guy and you will take a lot of money from the atm and give the money to them. The victims forgot totally about that !! There is the same scam in Latin America

This plant is the Scopolamine. There are families using that in the Philippines. Never ever accept a drink from a stranger you just met few minutes ago ! I say that because some tourists, generally women who travel alone, fell in the trap. They imagine that everybody smiling in the Philippines will be good for them, being alone they want to talk to a so nice local and the trap will be easily closed on them. Few hours later they will be sorry !

You can see the story of an American who fell in the trap

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/no … 0814-lfrm2

geolefrench wrote:

You can see the story of an American who fell in the trap

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/no … 0814-lfrm2

It worked out so well for him. Usually it ends so much worse. Sounds like the people he fell prey to were quite benevolent. Very strange that he got off so lucky.

Agreed geolefrench & PD;
I've got to know of airport touts that pretend they are also tourists and find an unsuspecting tourist in sharing a Grab Cab & the ending will NOT be good.
Never let your guard down especially  when you arrive & never share Grab cabs unless you are 100% sure.

manwonder wrote:

Agreed geolefrench & PD;
I've got to know of airport touts that pretend they are also tourists and find an unsuspecting tourist in sharing a Grab Cab & the ending will NOT be good.
Never let your guard down especially  when you arrive & never share Grab cabs unless you are 100% sure.

Sorry I forgot to add that Even B4 You Arrive keep an eye on your money pouch/mobile phone...do not put/try best not to put it in the storage cabin or far fm yout sight, as things have gone missing in mid-flight!....So always keep yr guard up!

The Gist of this matter...Is if all these precautions foreigners are taking just in getting here...should they not be extremely careful/seek reliable facts information before committing to any kind of investment here?

"Express Lanes"
Are you talking about Disney amusement parks?

It can happen anywhere.

Con artists work forums in teams.

The information in these links does have some crossover value in spotting forum scammers.

https://safenetforum.org/t/the-gentlepe … pies/30059https://cryptome.org/2012/07/gent-forum-spies.htm

Those who come in and say it is not happening are probably doing it.

Even a slow forum can fall prey to scammers. It costs them nothing to lay out bait.

The takeaway is they work in teams and they try really hard to get rid of people who shine any light on what they are doing.

get use to it ,,,otherwise you never know what philippines is all about

Share some experience to help people. That is what this thread is about.

this tip is specific to Windows PCs

When you buy a new computer there is usually a floor model with a listing of the specs.

Some people just tell the rep which one they want; the reps brings it out & boots it up to show that it works; the person pays for it and then leaves.

That is not what you should do.

Before you shut down the computer and pay run msinfo32.exe.

Looking under System summary you will find:
- the precise model
- the operating system
- the exact type of processor installed
- the amount of RAM installed
- under this same list under system type you will see whether it is a 64 bit processor

Next look under Components and Display. One of the items that will increase performance and cost is the discrete graphics module. Components/Display will tell you if the unit actually has a discrete graphics module installed in addition to the standard Intel HD graphics. It will also tell you how much RAM the card has.

Next, open up File Explorer and click on "Computer" on the left side. Look at all of the drives other than the DVD player. Most computers you buy new will not have the drive  divided into logical drives so it is easy to just click on the one drive (usually c:  ) and see how big it is. Otherwise if there are multiple logical drives then add them all up and make sure they add up to the size that you are paying for.

Make sure that the computer you are paying for matches the specifications that you think you are paying for.

mc81 wrote:

living cost in philippines is always how much money you are ready to put for that

do not expect nothing else

everyting what you put there will stay there

you not gonna have nothing in your pocket when you leave a county if you ever want to do it

there is no answer for living cost

you have to choose your "level" to living and how much money you can use for that

philippines have "living cost" for every level

those "ownership" issues usually ends with lawyers and court who give you right at the end and charge you such amout about their "help" what could not imagine

Sorry for asking mc81...you seem to be quite pissed of for some reason, based on your above quote!

Whatever that is being posted/uploaded currently is for public info in general....anyone can choose not to read or avoid it completely.

Thanks

you are wrong

im just happy coz i know how to living in philippines

that money and what ever people call investment stay in philippines

you not gonna have it with you if you leave a 7000 island , if you know what does it mean

im realistic but not pissed off

mc81 wrote:

you are wrong

im just happy coz i know how to living in philippines

that money and what ever people call investment stay in philippines

you not gonna have it with you if you leave a 7000 island , if you know what does it mean

im realistic but not pissed off

I respect that!

Thanks & Have a Great day!

In my experience, being scammed is half your responsibility. It takes two to tango, right?

In short, a foreign person to any country is prone some sort of scam, abuse, etc. because you are perceived to have a lot of money and vulnerable.

In Manila, a taxi drove me about 200 ft from my pick up and told me the fare was about USD 30 equivalent where it would have been about PHP 400. Since the taxi line is so long I have to take it to avoid missing my flight. Take Grab or hotel shuttle instead. And yeah, get there early.

I also use a little pouch I hang under my shirt. It will hold my passport, driver's license, credit cards and money. You can buy it at Amazon: neck wallet travel pouch.  I keep some cash in my pocket for immediate use. From experience, this is very effective. Been using for over 5 years.

I also have photocopies of everything sent to my brother/sister so if I lost the documents, I can cancel credit cards, prove my identity, etc.

I like what mc81 expressed that one should learn how to live in the Philippines.

geolefrench wrote:

You can see the story of an American who fell in the trap

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/no … 0814-lfrm2

===
I hate to be blunt but he did not see the HUGE signs? Stranger danger.
Lucky for him they let him live.

There is something about his story that made me feel skeptical.

Jackson4 wrote:

geolefrench wrote:

You can see the story of an American who fell in the trap

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/no … 0814-lfrm2

===
I hate to be blunt but he did not see the HUGE signs? Stranger danger.
Lucky for him they let him live.

There is something about his story that made me feel skeptical.

If he had "SMILED" less maybe things would have been different!

How about the Immigration "Arrival Card"....does it still state Maximum cash carry into the philippines as *10,000pesos or 10,000 usd?

Try buying/registering a new car here & find out how long its going to take to get your number plates fm LTO..you'll be shocked.... (Yup u wait 2-3 years for that!)
Then as for your local car insurance....thats reserved for another bedtime horror story!

manwonder wrote:

Try buying/registering a new car here & find out how long its going go take to get your number plates fm LTO..you'll be shocked.... (Yup u wait 2-3 years for that!)
Then as for your local car insurance....thats reserved for another bedtime horror story!

Maybe I forgot to ask if they had an "Express lane" option for this too! #@₩@#~

manwonder wrote:

manwonder wrote:

Try buying/registering a new car here & find out how long its going go take to get your number plates fm LTO..you'll be shocked.... (Yup u wait 2-3 years for that!)
Then as for your local car insurance....thats reserved for another bedtime horror story!

Maybe I forgot to ask if they had an "Express lane" option for this too! #@₩@#~

I watched a guy argue for thirty minutes about the express lane fee. 

Nobody mentioned  "fake love scams"...this must be rampant with the family members in tow, so as to rip off gullable expats (viewed as walking ATM machines) & nothing else!

manwonder wrote:

How about the Immigration "Arrival Card"....does it still state Maximum cash carry into the philippines as *10,000pesos or 10,000 usd?

.
It still is USD 10k per passenger in foreign currency. If you are carrying Philippine currency, the limit is PHP 50k.
I am not sure if a couple travelling together can carry USD 20k. I could not find this info from the Philippine government websites.
If you have that much cash on your person in the Philippines, you are taking a big risk, I think.