Beware of stolen cars sold online

Be very careful when buying or selling cars, or anything for that matter, on the Internet.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police warned the public on Tuesday  about a syndicate selling stolen vehicles through a popular classified ads website.

The CIDG said it arrested a member of the syndicate in an entrapment operation in the parking lot of Victoria Tower on Timog Avenue, Quezon City. The syndicate is allegedly operated by a Chinese-Filipino.

Michael S. Udasco, a 26-year-old resident of Angono, Rizal, was caught as he delivered a black Mazda 3 that was believed to have been stolen, CIDG Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said in a statement.

The police operation was based on a complaint filed by Rosherrie Anne Magpantay Skrilec, 32, a businesswoman from Pasig City who reported to the CIDG the theft of her brown Mazda 3 on Dec. 16 allegedly by Richard Co Go.

Skrilec said she met Go in November after she posted an online ad to sell her car.

Go, she said, called her up and they agreed to meet so he could test drive the vehicle. But when they stopped at a fast food restaurant in Taguig City, he drove off with her car, the complainant said.

Two days after the incident, Skrilec and CIDG investigators surfed through sulit.com.ph, an online buy-and-sell site, to see if Go would try to sell the Mazda 3.

Instead, they came across an ad for a black Mazda 3 being sold by Eric Co whose contact number was the same as Go’s when he called Skrilec, the CIDG said.

Co was also selling several sport utility vehicles on the buy-and-sell site.

Posing as buyers, CIDG agents made a deal with Co who agreed to meet them at Victoria Tower. Instead of Co, however, Udasco showed up, leading to his arrest and the confiscation of the black Mazda.

Udasco, who said Co was his “boss,” showed investigators documents for the car but these turned out to be spurious upon verification, the CIDG said.

Udasco said the black Mazda was sold to Co by Cai Rong Fa of Pasay City but it turned out the name was fictitious. The CIDG learned the black Mazda 3 was registered to another businesswoman in Metro Manila.

Charges of car theft, falsification of documents and robbery-extortion were filed against Udasco while the CIDG is still working to arrest the leader of the group.