An abundance of victims

The movie “Tower Heist” is currently being shown on a cable channel, and I chanced upon it one night. It tells of the story of a New York apartment building manager and his staff, who were apparently defrauded by one of the unit owners who lives on the penthouse.

The manager thought of investing the staff’s pension with the apparently ridiculously successful tenant, without their permission. Of course, as with almost everything else nowadays, he was a fraud, who was at the verge of being arrested by the FBI. The staff’s pension,  all but gone.

The character was obviously patterned after Bernie Madoff, the real-life multi-billion swindler, who was able to lure investors into non-existent portfolios for years before he was caught. But of course, the severe damage had been done. But I digress. So the plot is to rob the rich tenant with whatever they believe he has stashed in his penthouse apartment. They eventually succeed, but I the oddest of ways.

I mentioned the movie, because another real-life swindling has been revealed. This time, the victims are hard working parents and teachers. A couple in Fairview, Quezon City has fled with an estimated P100 million pesos, most of which were “investments” made by parents and teachers of a nearby school.

The usual sweet talk of a successful business elsewhere, coupled with a current business that can be visibly seen by the investors served as the bait for the scam. Of course, the ridiculously high interest of 5% a week helped seal the fate of the proverbial fools and their money, no offense. Now, all they have is a piece of paper that means absolutely nothing.

They have filed a case of estafa against the couple, but honestly, even if they are caught, I really doubt if they have anything on them to reclaim. How sad for those who worked so hard for all of that money, only to be stolen from them with both eyes open!

There really should be a nationwide, or even a global information campaign with regards to scam artists. It seems there never is a scarcity of scam artists, because there is an abundance of victims. How easily people are lured into easy, quick returns on their money. Even the most astute stockbroker in Wall Street does not make that kind of money, that easily. If it’s too good to be true, it most certainly is. And may I add, it most certainly is a scam!

As for the scammers, I hope they run like the wind, and disappear. If and when they are caught, the money may no longer be reclaimed, but their freedom can, and will be taken away. Maybe they have something nondescript where they converted all that stolen money. We could only be so lucky. After all, this is real life, and not Hollywood.