Company warns public vs syndicate

CEBU, Philippines - A food company is warning the public against a syndicate victimizing aspiring entrepreneurs and housewives.

The said syndicate allegedly victimized over a hundred people in Luzon and is now penetrating Visayas, especially Metro Cebu.

Foodsphere Inc., maker of CDO food products, said several women in Cebu, Samar and Leyte already fell victim to the modus operandi of the syndicate headed by one Allan Cruz Tan as the mastermind.

In a press conference yesterday at the Beverly Boutique Business Hotel, CDO Media Affairs executive Dindo Danao said that this is the same syndicate using the name of CDO that victimized over a hundred households in Luzon last year and was disbanded following the arrest of its members.

“Unfortunately, the members of the syndicate returned to their modus operandi after posting bail and were recently reported to be victimizing residents of the Visayas. We ask residents in the Visayas to immediately report to the police once you are approached by this syndicate,” said Danao.

In its modus operandi, members of the syndicate introduced themselves as agents of CDO and offer the victims a dealership business in exchange for cash. To entice their victims, the suspects claim to be giving unusually huge discounts and rebates.

Once the victim accepts the supposed deal, the suspects immediately ask for a down payment for the merchandise included in the supposed dealership.

The unsuspecting victims said they were convinced to give money to the alleged agents who promised to return and deliver the merchandise, only to realize later they were duped by the bogus agents.

The syndicate has duped housewives, entrepreneurs and owners of home-based food outlets and food carts in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Pangasinan and Ilocos for several years. Recent police records showed the syndicate is now operating in the Visayas, particularly in Cebu, Samar and Leyte.

According to police reports, the syndicate is reportedly headed by one Allan Cruz Tan as the mastermind. Its members introduce themselves as Leopoldo Aparece, Danilo Chan, Ramon Chan, Elmo Agarao, Erlinda Tinto, Ronald Balmores, Elvin Meries, Sergio Biares, Jhony Solis, Eddie Varono,   George Licaras, Leonel Alba Chan, Alvin Tamulak, Rextie Ramos, Aldrin Calimag and Marilou Soriano.

Records from Station 4 of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office showed that at least three women were victimized by the swindlers. One victim, Lovely Meh Bongakale Mendez, 28, of Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City, claiimed that on July 29, a suspect came to her house, introduced himself as Allan Tan and offered her to be a stock holder of CDO products.

The victim was convinced to give him P5,000 for the reservation fee and the CDO merchandise with a freezer, which the suspect promised to deliver on the same day. The suspect never returned and the victim discovered later that Tan is not working for CDO nor is he connected to the company.

“I researched about the company on the net and found out that they do not have such kind of promotions and then I also emailed them and received a reply that Allan Tan is not working in the company,” said Mendez, who gave to the swindler her sales from their internet café business.

Another victim also came yesterday - Sheena, a housewife from Mandaue City, who also filed the same complaint and reported that on July 9, Allan Tan came to her house and offered a dealership business at a discount. This prompted her to grab the deal and handed to the suspect P15,000 cash.

“I first gave P12,500 and then he later called me to send the remaining P2,500 via ML Kwarta Padala since he said that their delivery truck will send the freezer at our house the next day,” she said.

Helen Hinay Abenoja of San Vicente, Basak, Lapu-Lapu City filed the same complaint and the incident happened on July 29. Abenoja grabbed the deal after she was promised to be given high profit, and handed to the suspect P4,800.

Emilyn Menguito, 49 of Basak Gate, Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, also gave P4,500 to Allan Tan for CDO products.

In Tacloban City, Grace Egona, 45 of Barangay 94, Tigbao, filed a complaint before Police Station 2 of Di-it Community Police Precinct, stating that on June 15, two men, including one who introduced himself as Allan and a supervisor of CDO Negros Occidental, came to her house and gave effective “sales talk”.

The complainant was convinced to give P2,500 at 9:30 am on the promise the suspects would return at 12 noon to deliver the order. The suspects did not return and when the complainant tried to call the mobile phone given by the suspects, nobody answered. Only then did she realize she just fell victim to the “Budul Budul Gang.”

Wilson Viullaceran, the sales executive of CDO-Cebu, said that some of the offers made by the suspects in the one-day sales talk is that they will pay 15% of the electric bill per month and the freezer.

Foodsphere advised the public particularly home-based businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs to deal directly with its main office to avoid becoming victims. It also emphasized that it does not ask for down payments for its authorized dealerships.

“We would like to warn the public not to negotiate with these people. We wanted to clarify that we do not do the house-to-house sales program and we don’t ask for advance payments as well,” said Danao.

For complaints or to report any suspicious dealership that demands down payment using the name of Foodsphere and its CDO products, the public is advised to contact the company’s Sales Department in Manila and (032) 418-1278 in Cebu. – (FREEMAN)