4 held over face shield scam

MANILA, Philippines — A couple and two others were apprehended after they were tagged in an online scam involving 50,000 face shields amounting to at least P1.8 million in Malate, Manila on Wednesday night.Raymund Manzanares, 42, and his wife Vivien, 47, were nabbed along with Krizia Allen Cay Mercurio, 32, and Christine Pitiquen, 33, during an entrapment operation at a hotel along P. Ocampo street at around 10:30 p.m.

Maj. Joey de Ocampo, chief of the Manila Police District theft and robbery section, said the suspects’arrest stemmed from the complaint of Vanessa Abajo, of Malasiqui, Pangasinan.

Abajo said the suspects duped her and her business partner of at least P1.8 millon

She sought police help after the suspects failed to deliver the face shields.

The suspects used other names on social media, police said.

The complainant said she met on Facebook one of the suspects she identified as Quim, who offered her to sell the face shields.

Abajo said Quim told her to contact a man, known only as Paul, who instructed her to bring the money to the hotel where the transaction would take place.

Abajo said she was introduced to Jun Mozon, who reportedly received the cash.

She said the suspects assured her that she would receive the face shields in two days.

Thinking that the deal was quick, Abajo and her business partner went to Manila but they were forced to stay at the hotel and waited for four days but no face shields were delivered.

Abajo said she asked the suspects to return the money but to no avail, prompting her to seek police assistance.