‘Cyberscam’

By Jun Velasco

“The discerning heart seeks knowledge, But the mouth of a fool feeds on folly”-  Proverbs l5:l4

 

WE had an interesting dialogue with young writers at a campus journalism seminar in Luna Colleges, Tayug, Pangasinan recently. School paper adviser   Rene Ordona, a fellow traveler in the pre-martial law years was a no swivel chair guru because he treated his wards like his personal friends.  Together, they debated to their heart’s content, drank beer and sang it out together at Mr. Manaois’ store which has a videoke and “embarked,” he says, “on a literary or writing odyssey.”

Rene says he was treated more like a beerkada than a critic by the students.

We saw the tropa’s free spirit. The forum was a joint investigation of the fatade and phalanx of words appearing in the newspapers and politicians’ speeches. Favorite topic was charter change which, despite seminar director Orly Guirao’s open bias for Raul Lambino’s “People’s Initiative” advocacy, the young journalists aggressively tore it to pieces calling it an administration prop up for a credibility problem.

A good-looking professor said the present system (presidential) is all right. He said: “What is not all right are the leaders. If we change the charter, it should not be the incumbent officials who will do the charter’s re-writing because precisely the country is failing because the leaders are either incompetent or corrupt or abusive or all of the above.

A large part of the participants agreed that the system is partly to blame because it won’t allow the successful implementation of correct laws by leaders working for the country’s best interest.

The forum, the exchange was free-wheeling and well-meaning for which we credited Rene Ordona’s democratic tutelage. Rene and us were products of the tumultuous 60’s which caused our  incarceration for one month in Camp Aquino, while Rene took the woodlands and returned only when martial law was lifted and ran and won for councilor in Tayug. We said free speech will not allow injuring a person’s honor and reputation. When that happens society, the public feels unsafe. License and libel have no place in a healthy democracy.

We wish to felicitate the following fellow speakers: former Police Chief Art Lomibao, Vice Gov. Oca Lambino, national economics writer Abe Belena, Regional Mirror publisher Ruben Rivera, and the editors and writers of Luna College’s North Star namely Camilo Nicart Framil II, Joseph Delfin, Aileen N. Framil, Jimmy Ocumen, Avelina Permites, Jacquilyn Vinluan, Giselle Valencerina, Robielyn de Lena, Ferdinand de Guzman, Marifel Nacuna, Emily Joy Uson. Raymund John Valencerina and Diego Concepcion.

* * *

We are reprinting the following dispatch to highlight the victim’s foolishness and warn others who could be the next victim. We are taking the liberty of lifting it from the Philippine Star of last Thursday’s issue.

“AMERICAN FALLS PREY TO CHAT ROOM SCAM”

“If you’re lucky, online dating can help you find an ideal partner.

But if you’re not careful, you could lose you’re life savings and fall prey to extortionists and scam artists targeting those in search of affection.

Timothy Devaney, 44, a freelance journalist from San Francisco, California became one such victim after a 20-year old Filipina became his on-line ‘girlfriend.’

He didn’t know he was being duped until he flew to Manila to meet his chatmate, a nursing student from Mandaue City, last month.

After more than six months of exchanging e-mails and indulging in hours of chat, he found out that he may never meet his ‘girlfriend,’  with whom he had been sending money from the US through money transfer service.

Devaney, knowing that all he can now do is warn everyone of the cyberscam, went to the Makati City Police Department to tell authorities of his sad love story yesterday.

According to the American, he met Trisha De la Torre at a chatroom in December 2005. The photo of a beautiful Filipina stood out among the others, which led to the start of their online friendship.

They eventually became more than friends and he found out that his chat partner was a nursing student in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Devaney told Makati policemen that he sent her money to buy a cellular phone and other items as well as pay for her tuition. He would often send her $200 or $300 through money transfer.

He claimed to have sent her more than P400,000 during the ‘relationship’.

And after a year and a half on chatting, he decided to meet De la Torre, who agreed to meet him last July 27 in Cebu.

He later found out that the girl of his dreams did not exist.

Devaney, who is now staying in Makati, is preparing to go back to the US.

He told policemen that he realized he was duped when he saw five other names in the chatroom using the same picture of the pretty Filipina.

“I don’t expect to get my money back,’  Devaney told  The Star, adding that he found the same girl in several Internet dating sites like myspace.com, Filipina Friendfinder and Foreign Bride.

Probers said it would be difficult to determine the crime committed since the scam was committed in cyberspace between the US and Cebu.

“May scam talaga dito. This should serve as a warning,’ police said as Devaney’s case was placed on official police record.

The American said a person identified as ‘Badoy Pogi’ is responsible for the so-called scam since he has some 200 girls at myspace.com.

“I think he’s running the scam. I think he pays for the photos and makes a bunch of profiles,’ Devaney said, adding that he searched for Trisha in other sites and  found out that she uses the names Janet, Myra and others.

 

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