AS they say, there is always a first time. Despite being the most cautious and most skeptical in terms of online transactions, I have been victimized by an online fraudster. Since we wanted to visit Tagaytay in the next coming months, I searched for possible accommodations using Facebook, and true to what I suspect, Facebook has its eavesdropping mechanism and is suggesting sponsored ads in our feed.
I ran across this ad promoting a condotel accommodation good for 10 pax with a view of the Taal Lake. After inquiring if the said unit is available on our selected dates, I inquired how to reserve the pencil booking. The person behind the page sent me the bank details and even his celfone number this is why I did not think he was a scammer. Good thing that he only asked for one thousand pesos as deposit.
After sending the money via bank transfer, he said that he will be sending me official confirmation slip, which did not happen after two days. Having this gut feel, I worried and followed up. With no reply and no response from his celfone number, I already accepted that I have been victimized by an online scam. So, what are the lessons that we can learn from this experience?
First, never trust someone you only met through online platforms. Sometimes, having a very skeptical personality pays off and in times like these when the social media world is so powerful that it can detect our interests, we have to be very cautious in all our conversations and transactions.
Secondly, be critical. Time and again I have said that if the ad is too good to be true, chances are that the offer is a hoax.
Third, transact using legitimate online sites such as Agoda or Trivago for accommodations. For online shopping, it is best to use Shopee or Lazada.
Lastly, as much as possible, do not disclose personal sensitive information such as bank account details, passwords, credit card numbers, and other important information. Also, do not send money right away especially if the amount requested is too much.
At the end of the day, we settled for a booking using Agoda.com which I have used a lot of times before and has been very considerate of my requests and other cancellation or rebooking transactions.