By ELLEN TORDESILLAS
THIS is painful for me to relate because it is embarrassing. My friends and I have been victimized by a scam artist.
Mahirap amin na naging tanga kami ngunit ganun na nga.
Last Friday, a “Ramon Tulfo” called me up. I did not have doubts that he was Mon Tulfo, the Inquirer columnist because it was the number of Mon Tulfo that I have in my directory for a long time. Through that number, I have talked with “Mon Tulfo” about other issues like the Ampatuan massacre. (I’m having doubts now. Was the person I talked with months earlier not Mon Tulfo?)
The “Mon Tulfo” that I talked with last Friday said he has read my column in Abante about our province, Antique, having been badly hit also by typhoon Yolanda. He said he has received donations of 500,000 plastic pails from businessman “Plastic King” William Gatchalian. He said he has filled those pails with packs of rice, canned goods and other items from donations of former Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn and businessman Mark Jimenez. He said he would like to give 50,000 of those pails to Antique. Later on, he increased the number to 100,000. He asked for my help to connect with a non-political contact in Antique.
I got excited and connected him with some friends. Saturday morning, he said he has borrowed five trucks from FF. Cruz Construction to bring the good to Antique via RoRo. He asked me if we could handle the trucks’ gasoline requirements. He said he was sending his son,Rey, to accompany the reflief goods. I thought it was not unreasonable considering the quantity of the donations that would go a long way to my suffering provincemates.
After we sent the money through Palawan Pawnshop, we could not get in touch with “Tulfo” anymore. After a few hours, we realized we were duped.
I got scared because I also referred him to tenor Arthur Espiritu, who was also helping Yolanda’s victims in Llorente, Eastern Samar, the hometown of his wife, Christina.
I immediately contacted Espiritu and was so relieved that he was wiser and did not fall into the scam. This is excerpts from Espiritu’s Facebook post:
“I have to share this to you all. A guy posing as Mon Tulfo claimed that he had about 50,000 pails filled with relief goods. And we got hooked. We were so happy that we were getting so much items for the relief goods. Then today he called a few times. He said that he will deliver half of the items tonight, only problem is, it would be a good gesture to put in money for gasoline. It’s a 44 liter tank daw. So I said great we will wait for the items then and get gas along with the driver. He did suggest that we send it via M Llhuillier. And his security personnel will receive the money to pay for the gas. Low and behold after a while, I called him and the number was not available. I even texted him the place to drop off the items. I hope he does not go to the addresses. But, he really sounded like Mon Tulfo. Please don’t believe this fake. We almost sent him 5,000 php.
“Even in these times we have people like these. Leeches that deserve to go to hell. Thank God I did not agree to send money. I said I’d rather see the person with the goods.
“ Please watch out for these posers. May God Bless us.”
I’ve talked to the real Ramon Tulfo and he is dismayed. He said he also wants to have this scammer arrested and punished.