2 BPO firm employees nabbed for swindling businesswoman

MANILA, Philippines - The manager of an outsourcing firm and his secretary were arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Manila over the weekend for gypping a businesswoman of P500,000, an official said yesterday.

Jessie Cutillas, a manager of Prudent Outsourcing Business Development Inc., and his secretary Marie Khristine de Guia, were collared by a CIDG team headed by Benjamin Acorda Jr., of the anti-fraud and commercial crime division, after he received P9,000 marked money from businesswoman Ronalyn Iglesia.

Acorda said Cutillas was also arrested for swindling another businessman in Manila in April 2010.

CIDG chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said Iglesia met Cutillas through a friend who suggested that she invest her money in a food cart business.

After paying Cutillas P590,000 for the food cart, payment for the service crew, uniform and other fees, the suspect asked Iglesia to pay a royalty fee of P7,500 per month.

It was at this point that another friend of the victim told her she had just fallen into an illegal transaction. Iglesia said she later learned that Cutillas has no authority to use the company name and all the product lines he presented.

At around 4 p.m. Sunday, CIDG police officers and Iglesia proceeded to the firm’s office in Paco, Manila to carry out the entrapment. The lawmen recovered documents and the marked money.   

Acorda said the two suspects will be charged with syndicated estafa before the office of Manila Prosecutor Ma. Lorenza Siosana.