Woman Seeks Help After Losing Over P100K to ‘Mr. Right’ in Dating App Scam
DATING APP SCAM – A woman reportedly lost over P100,000 to a “Mr. Right” she met on a dating app, who turned out to be a scammer.
A woman named Carmencita Pantoja shared her story on Wanted sa Radyo, hoping to recover the money she sent to someone she believed was a foreign widower named “Mattias Hueber Liam.”
Pantoja said their conversations were initially pleasant, as both were widowed and looking for companionship.
“Okay naman. Gusto niya ako. Gusto niya raw ako maging asawa kaso balo siya wala raw siyang mga anak. Sabi ko, ako balo ako. Tatlo ang anak ko pero hindi na ako nag-asawa,” Pantoja said.
A person claiming to be “Henric Parker,” supposedly Mattias’ secretary at a company in Palawan, contacted her. He told her that Mattias needed to open a bank account to deposit a check. To help, Carmencita was asked to send money to cover the account setup.
Trusting Mattias, Carmencita sent funds totaling P111,000 via GCash. She even went as far as borrowing money and selling her house to raise the amount, despite never meeting Mattias, not even through a video call.
When attorney JV Bernardez from ACT-CIS Partylist reviewed the check, it was revealed to be fake. The check lacked essential details like a check number and account number, and the signatures were electronic something banks do not accept.
Attorney Bernardez explained that scams like this are common and often involve fake identities. He added that Carmencita’s use of GCash for the transactions could provide a lead, as the reference numbers might help trace the account owner.
Investigations, in collaboration with the NBI Anti-Cybercrime Division, are already underway.
Meanwhile, Carmencita’s son Byron confirmed he had warned his mother about the scam but she chose to trust Mattias. Carmencita admitted she was convinced by the scammer’s smooth talk but now hopes to recover her lost money.
In another post, a consumer gets scammed after paying parcel she did not ordered
The social media users expressed their reactions to the incident:
until now , lot of scammers are trying to get our hard earned money. At first they offer help ,telling you to do this and that. Even advising you to use the money wisely, telling you to send a gcash screen shot of your balance and they will make it x10 . creepy!