Woman in Philippine investment scam arrested
MANILA: A woman who lured people to a 100 million peso investment scam, by claiming to be employed by key figures and officials, was apprehended by the authorities.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday arrested the woman for allegedly posing as a staff member of congressmen and other government officials here, the Philstar.com portal reported.
The woman, identified as Cristine Lagrisola, was arrested in an entrapment set by the NBI following a complaint.
The victim claimed Lagrisola had solicited investments by claiming to be a staff member of congressmen and other government officials, including Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero.
Apparently, the suspect has been using a picture of herself with Romero to convince potential victims and support her claim of affiliation with the 1-Pacman (One Patriotic Coalition of Marginalised Nationals) congressman.
Following the allegations, NBI director Eric Distor formed a special team to handle the case and eventually led to the arrest of the suspect.
Romero reminded the public to be wary of investment scams using names of congressmen and public officials and urged investors to be careful not to fall prey to scammers and immediately report unscrupulous individuals to authorities.
“It is regrettable that scammers and con artists still exist and even dare to victimise unsuspecting investors in these trying times of pandemic when most people are struggling financially.”