Lonely hearts warned against lover-scammers

Bachelors and bachelorettes looking to make their hearts beat faster this Valentine's season were warned against "budol-budol" scammers pretending to be lovers in a report by Cesar Apolinario on 24 Oras on Thursday.

"Lalo na yung February 14, siyempre, araw ng puso. Alam mo na yung ganyang modus, pupunta, makikipagkita sa inyo sa simbahan, kunyari banal, 'yun pala may balak," Antonio Reyes, chairman of Barangay 146 in Pasay City, warned.

A closed-circuit television camera recording in Reyes' barangay showed a woman happily walking with her date to a fast food restaurant at the EDSA rotunda after meeting up at the Baclaran Church.

"Pina-akyat niya, maghintay dun sa taas para mag-order. Siya ang oorder ng pagkain," CCTV camera operator Recto Calipayan recalled.

It was too late when the woman realized that the man had made off with her bag instead of bringing her food.

The incident was preceded by a complaint from a 19-year-old woman, this time seeking a job instead of a fling, victimized by another gentlemanly "budol-budol" perp she met at the same church.

"Mula dun sa Baclaran, nag-lakad sila, kinuha yung bag ng babae, sabi niya, akin na yung bag mo kasi marami ditong mandurukot, marami nang-aagaw dito," Calipayan said.

She was then made to inquire at a motel only to lose the bag she entrusted to the man after he ran off on a jeep to Makati.

In both instances, the women only knew their acquaintances by nicknames and had no information on their real identities.

"Yung nakikipag-FB (Facebook), yung mga hindi niyo kilala, siyempre, kelangan, i-trace niyo muna yung profile niya," Reyes advised. —Rie Takumi/APG, GMA News