Scammer Uses Photo of Popular Vlogger to Trick Victims to Earn Money
A male scammer allegedly used the photo of a popular female vlogger to trick amd make victims to send a large amount of money.
A young man sought help from the television program Raffy Tulfo in Action after claiming he was tricked into sending a large amount of money to someone who used the photo and identity of a gorgeous vlogger.
On March 6, 2026 (Friday), Erwin Balangbang, 23, shared his story during the program on March 6, 2026. He said he met a person named Jonathan Roxas through a social application called WePlay.
According to Erwin, the person introduced himself as a woman and used the name and photos of vlogger Lyn Marie Ostan.
As their conversations continued, Erwin believed he had formed a close relationship with the person behind the account. Their communication later moved to Messenger, and over time he believed they had become a couple and trusted the person he thought he was talking to.
Erwin said the person would often ask for financial help, saying she needed money for asthma medicine and food for hungry nieces and nephews. Feeling sympathy, Erwin continued sending money taken from his earnings as a farmer.
In total, the amount he sent reached around P117,000.
Jonathan appeared in the studio of the program together with his parents. During the discussion, he admitted that he had used the identity and photos of the vlogger. He explained that he did it because their family was struggling financially at that time.
However, Erwin revealed that other people had also contacted him saying they were victims of the same scheme using the same photos. Reports also surfaced that the suspect allegedly used inappropriate videos while pretending to be a woman during conversations.
The real vlogger, Lyn Marie Ostan, was also contacted during the program. She shared that the situation had badly affected her reputation because some people believed she was involved in the scam.
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:Â
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