Romblon mayor flags scammer using photos of flood to ask for donations

Romblon Mayor Trina Firmalo on Thursday warned the public against a certain individual allegedly using photos taken from flooded areas in the province to ask for donations.

According to Firmalo, the alleged scammer, Ricky Sorbetero of Southern Leyte, posted in his account photos of severe flooding in Romblon as well as his bank account to gain cash aid.

"May mga larawan na nakuha kahapon dito sa amin nung kasagsagan ng baha. The problem is may isang account si, Ricky Sorbetero, kinuha mga pictures tapos kinabit sa account na pinost na mayroon silang baha sa Southern Leyte, tapos nilagay ang kanyang GCash number na nanghihingi po siya ng donations," said Firmalo, over Balitanghali.

(Someone took photos of flooding in our area. The problem is, there's an account, Ricky Sorbetero, who grabbed the photos and posted it in his account along with his GCash number to ask for donations.)

Local government already warned about the reported scammer on their social media pages.

In Romblon, flood rose around six feet with some residents trying to cross the current through a rope to flee their homes.

In Tablas Island, over 20,000 homes experienced power outages due to strong winds that downed power lines and trees.—Consuelo Marquez/LDF,GMA News