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Falling for Internet date cost American P100,000

By Chito O. Aragon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:42:00 11/26/2009

Filed Under: Crime, relationships and dating, Internet

CEBU CITY, Philippines?American Allan Toor thought he was lucky to have met and become engaged to a Filipina through an Internet dating website.

He waited for her to arrive at the Hollywood International Airport in Florida in mid-October, with flowers and chocolates in hand. No one came.

She not only ran off with about P100,000 of his money but gave Toor a false name and a nonexistent address in Cebu.

She also used the photo of Filipina singer-actress Karylle, the daughter of singer Zsa Zsa Padilla, to identify herself to Toor.

In a letter sent to Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., chief of Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), Toor asked police to help him locate the girl who introduced herself as Arkishra Toribio Manuel, who claimed to be 29-years-old and a native of Zamboanga City who had established residence in Consolacion, Cebu.

?I am now asking you to look into this matter as she may be making thousands of dollars and scamming others. However, if she took the money from me, where is she now? Still in Manila or home?? Toor?s letter read.

In his 10-page letter dated Oct. 19, 2009 received early this week by Comendador, Toor said he began chatting with Arkishra in early September through the dating website called ?Cherry Blossom.?

?We built friendship that led to a serious relationship,? Toor said.

He said after Manuel agreed to become his fiancée, they began planning her trip to the United States.

Toor claimed he sent money to Manuel for her placement fee, visa processing, airfare and dormitory expenses in Manila totaling about P100,000. She was supposed to arrive on Oct. 16 in Florida.

To identify herself to Toor, Manuel sent to the American a scanned copy of supposedly her visa that had Karylle?s photo on it.

In his letter to the police, Toor attached a photocopy of Arkishra?s visa with Karylle?s picture on it and some photos of Karylle taken from her blog.

Police, however, were not equipped to handle Toor?s case and decided to turn it over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group since the unit has a cyber crimes section based in Camp Crame, according to Senior Insp. George Ylanan, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detective Management Branch of the Cebu police.

Police said the woman whom Toor met through the Internet obviously fooled the American.

She claimed to be staying at ?Liomo Highway, Sitio Street, Consolacion town.? Police said there was no such place in Consolacion.

An Internet search made on the name ?Arkishra Toribio Manuel? showed that she was in the Twitter account of another foreigner, identified as a Gary Wigle, who appeared to be her boyfriend, police said.



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