Online scam artists respect no one, not even athletes. A growing number of famous basketball players – and now, female volleyballers – have had their identities stolen for the purpose of selling merchandise or soliciting money. This writer has personally been approached online by two fake Terence Romeos, a false Calvin Abueva, an impostor Simon Atkins, and a pretend volleyball player Max Juangco. Many of them offer counterfeit shoes and jerseys (buy one, take one, no less), and allegedly autographed memorabilia. They also ask for donations for supposed charities, fooling a significant number of sports fans. It is a rampant, widespread crime spree.
“If someone approaches you online, even if it’s a famous athlete, ignore them. You’re not special,” says Jocel de Guzman, co-founder of ScamWatch Pilipinas. “In real life, you wouldn’t talk to a stranger in person. Why would you do it online?”
ScamWatch has proven that these scams are perpetrated by organized groups, many of them illegal POGOs. Together with the authorities such as the PNP Anti-Cyber Crime Unit, they have stopped a large number of these operations, confiscating tens of thousands of cards loaded with billions of pesos on stolen funds.
“Eighty percent of scams here in the Philippines are on Facebook. We’ve been running after them for a year. They’ve been ignoring us,” added the long-time telecommunications executive in an exclusive interview with The STAR and DWAN 1206 AM. “The best thing to do is to call the attention of the athletes themselves, so they can take action, like put up a page where they can address those matters.”
Most of the syndicates involved have a set script to follow. Obviously, their speech patterns are different from the actual person’s. You can catch them by asking to speak with them or meet them in person, or to even just send you a video greeting. They protect their anonymity. By no means should you send them any money, regardless of how small the amount would be. Most victims don’t bother to go after them because the amounts involved are small and not worth the hassle. That’s how they get you.
It is unfair, but we have to be vigilant. It’s nice to imagine that one of our favorite athletes would randomly reach out to us in person. But that is not reality. The reality is that there are many unscrupulous people who will steal your hard-earned money without a conscience. Protect yourselves. Be safe.