A Filipina based in Japan was duped into believing that the business opportunity, presented to her by a woman who introduced herself as “Princess Polinar Micabalo” from Ozamiz City, was authentic.
According to “Sarah,” not her real name, she met Micabalo in a group chat from social networking site Reahlity Hartz Hardships or Your Helping Hands Profit Sharing and began to woo her into investing in several opportunities.
“Mahilig po akong tumulong sa mahihirap. Ang kaso lang po, kung tutulong ako ng tutulong, mauubos ang savings ko and ang ganda ng usapan namin na magpapalago kami ng pera. Yung akin, ilalagay ko sa orphanage, siya naman ibibigay niya sa may sakit na hindi makabili ng wheelchair,” Sarah said on DZMM on Tuesday morning.
“March kami nagkakilala and ilang days kaming laging nagcha-chat, nagkakausap, nagvi-video call and then nahikayat akong mag invest. Very true siya kausap…i-invest [ang pera] sa palayan, sa palaisdaan, panagatan, lending and jewelries…nag invest ako.”
Sarah was sweet-talked into investing P180,000 and made to believe that they could double the money. But she did earn something. A month after investing, Sarah received her payout of P225,000.
This prompted her to encourage her Japanese friends to also invest their money into the business. Their pooled investment reached P1.2 million.
But after the money was deposited, she has not heard from Micabalo again. Micabilo’s accounts on social networking sites have also been deactivated.
In the end, Sarah still delivered on her financial promise to her friends in Japan.
