THE Davao City Anti-Scam Unit (ASU) warned Dabawenyos from ordering medical supplies in bulk, like face masks and face shields, online after their office received two complaints of failed transactions involving P300,000 and P1 million.
ASU head Simplicio Sagarino told SunStar Davao on Thursday, September 3, that both complainants filed their complaints to their office on the same day on Wednesday, August 2, for failure to deliver their ordered items.
According to the official, one of the complainant who is from Davao City filed their complaint against the seller from Manila, whom they have known for a long time, for failure to deliver their ordered items worth P300,000.
According to the complainant, their first transaction with the suspect went well. But on the second transaction, the latter can no longer be reached out.
Another complainant, who is a Saudi Arabia national, filed a complaint through his close contact who is residing in Davao City.
Sagarino said the Arabian ordered face masks and face shields worth P1 million from one of their suppliers allegedly addressed in Ecoland, Davao City.
However, after filing his complaints, ASU discovered that no such address existed in the city, and the bank account where the foreign complainant sent the money to is located somewhere in Quezon City.
"We already forwarded the police blotter of both complainants to the police stations where the suspects are at, and we will await their feedback," Sagarino said.
The ASU official said both complainants fully paid for their ordered items, which should not be done in the first place because there is no guarantee that their items will be delivered to them. Instead, the public is advised to transact through cash on delivery (COD).
Sagarino also said bogus sellers usually do well in the first transaction but will do their usual modus on the consecutive transactions.
He said suspects who will be proven guilty will be charged with estafa, in violation of Republic Act 10951.
Meanwhile, Sagarino reminded the public to be cautious in their transactions online, even if they already knew the person whom they are having a transaction with, especially that many swindling cases have been recorded in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.