VIGAN CITY – A nurse from Candon City, Ilocos Sur, lost Php176,000 to an online scam posing as a work-from-home opportunity.
Nena (not her real name), was duped after receiving a Viber message from someone claiming to be an eBay marketing manager, offering tasks in exchange for commissions.
Initially, Nena was instructed to complete simple tasks like liking and commenting on social media posts, earning Php90 commissions via her GCash account.
She was then asked to switch to Telegram, where a “Finance Receptionist” named Rachelle Melecio guided her through more complex tasks that required financial deposits.
Nena was convinced to deposit Php4,900 into a cryptocurrency account, with the promise of a 20% interest return.
After receiving a small payout, she believed the scheme was legitimate.
However, when she tried to withdraw Php50,000 from her supposed investment, which had grown to Php173,680, her account was frozen due to “incorrect instructions.”
To unfreeze the account, Nena was asked to pay Php68,000.
She made partial payments through various bank transactions but continued to face withdrawal issues.
Despite paying additional amounts totaling Php50,000 to different accounts, she still couldn’t access her money.
Realizing the scam, she had already lost Php176,000.
Authorities are urging the public to remain cautious of online scams and to avoid sharing financial information with unknown sources.