Victims sue One Dream Marketing over latest investment scam

Victims of multi-level networking firm on Tuesday filed a syndicated estafa complaint before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for having been supposedly tricked of their money in an investment scam.

 

In a complaint, the 18 victims said One Dream Marketing Inc. committed syndicated estafa under Article 315 and 316 of the Revised Penal Code for the operation and recruitment of prospective investors using the system profit scheme.

The respondents were One Dream head Arnel Gacer, vice president Jobelle de Guzman and other officers identified as Ariel Gacer, Richard Ramos, Jay-Ar de Guzman, Marlon de Guzman, Judith Itoh, Jun de Guzman, Lui de Guzman, Linda de Guzman, and Joel de Guzman.

 

Under the scheme, a pay-in of P888, which is equivalent to one slot, gives an investor access to an exit or pay-out window of P1,300 after four days. For a P1,776 pay-in, the pay-out amounts to P2,517.60, and so on, the complainants said.

 

An investor also earns and an additional P44 per slot for each recruit or direct referral that signs up under the scheme.

 

"Buoyed by our natural desire to similarly profit from such scheme and because of the company's continuous assurance and pretensions that we will indeed profit, we placed various sums of money with the company and obtained referrals," read the complaint.

 

The  plaintiffs said their confidence in the financial scheme grew when the respondents showed them "rags to riches stories" about people who became instant millionaires after joining One Dream.

 

On July 11, however, the company suddenly stopped operating after other investors complained they were not getting the pay-outs as promised and Lipa Mayor Meynardo Sabili inspected the business premises.

 

The next day, July 12, the plaintiffs learned that One Dream would no longer be granting pay-outs.

When they contacted the firm and demanded that their investments be returned, the company's representatives assured them there was nothing to worry about and that their investments "were in good hands."

 

"The impossibility of the conditions as promised by the respondents is clear false pretenses which led to the defraudation of the general public," read the complaint.

 

The complainants claimed they lost P3,338,910.80 from the One Dream investment scheme.

 

The mayor earlier invited Gacer to talk to investors face-to-face but failed to appear and has since gone missing.

 

Sabili and Batangas Gov. Mark Leviste accompanied the complainants during the filing at the DOJ on Tuesday.

 

"The acts of Gacer and the other respondents – the distribution of flyers, the spread of several hard copies of the profit-making scheme, the act of telling 'rags to riches' stories, the absolute guarantee that it will only take four days to profit, the continuous assurance that our hard-earned money will undoubtedly earn profits – are clear indications of deceit and false pretenses and fraudulent acts executed prior to and simultaneous with the commission of frauds," the complaint read.

 

"Also, the fact that the respondents promised complainants and the investing public a 10 percent a day return on investment or a 300 percent monthly profit undoubtedly proves the deceitfulness of their actions and their clear intent to defraud," it added.

 

As Gacer is nowhere to be found clearly indicates his and his co-respondent's intention to defraud the public, the plaintiffs said. – VS, GMA News