Cellphone scam

Note: I saw this email dated June 18, 2008 in my Sent box. I sent this to many of my friends and relatives. I warned them about the scam I experienced. I copied the email, without editing, for this post.

Today I became a victim of a cellphone scam. Nakakahiya!

As soon as I left our house, a male voice called my wife asking about me. He introduced his self as my relative, as we carry the same surname. As I was not around, he asked for my cp. My wife hesitated but he said it was an emergency.

Then I received a text message while driving. I ignored it as the number was not registered in my cp. When I was in school, I read the message. He gave his name and that he had a road accident in Barotac Viejo; the car he was driving hit a child. I called my cousins to inquire about the name. Unluckily, all the cp I called just rang. No answer. Then my 'relative' called my cp. He sounded calm. I asked about where he lives, and the names of his parents. He gave an address in our town and some names which were familiar. In my mind, he sounded the same as the person he claimed to be. As the talk dragged on, I asked how I can help. He asked for PhP 200 load as he will call Manila and he could not leave the place to buy load. I was relieved. He asked for a very small help. I asked somebody to buy him load. After a while he texted again that the child he hit, died. As I was slow in replying, he called my cp to convey the bad news. He said he was in the office of Mayor Myrna Tupas, negotiating with the parents; and that his lawyer Atty. Gerochi is on the way from the city. I thought to myself, bigtime ang relative ko! After sometime I asked him to keep me posted and hang up. Then he texted again that he needed more load. He'll pay in the afternoon when he reached the city. Nagpasa-load ako ng PhP60, the maximum. Then he texted that the parents were asking money. He could not leave if he could not give. He asked my help. I texted back I didn't have money. But I could negotiate with his aunt in our town.

As I was already at home, I called her purported aunt to inquire about him. His 'aunt' was the first to hint of a scam. I called the hospitals in Barotac Viejo, and the town's police station. According to them, no vehicular accident that day. I texted my 'relative' and inquired again about the names of his parents. No reply. I baited him to reply by texting I have PhP 3,000 ready for him. No reply. Maybe he thought I was smalltime! I was scammed!

Texts from far and unknown relatives asking for help is not new to me. But these are helps of where to go, whom to see, etc., etc. No one asked for money.

Anyway, it was a lesson worth PhP 260. Smalltime. But be aware.