Wilcon store branch gypped out of P13,000

MANILA, Philippines—Would you prepare “change” of P13,000 for a purchase of P9,999? This store did exactly that and ended up losing the money to con artists who identified themselves as relatives of Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, police said.

The story, as related by SPO4 Allan dela Cruz, chief of the theft and robbery section of the Quezon City Police, on the basis of a complaint by Bryan dela Torre, assistant manager of the Wilcon Home Essentials store at the Ali Mall in Cubao, goes this way.

At about 5 p.m. Friday, a woman who claimed to a be doctor and a sister of Mayor Bautista, called the shop and ordered a chandelier costing P9,999 for immediate delivery to the Kristine Jewelry shop at the neighboring Gateway Mall.

She asked that the store prepare P13,000 in P500 bills as change for her payment.

Accompanied by two of the store’s personnel, Dela Torre then proceeded to make the delivery on foot. In front of a fastfood restaurant they were met by a man, clad in a barong tagalog, who introduced himself as a lawyer and son of the woman who had just ordered the chandelier.

After ascertaining that Dela Torre had the chandelier with him, the man took out his cell phone and made as if he was calling a woman named Glady’s who was ostensibly at the jewelry store. He instructed Glady’s  to prepare P23,000 and hand it to the team from Wilcon when they arrived at the jewelry store.

The man then asked for the delivery receipt for the chandelier and signed it. He took the “change” of P13,000, which he said he was taking to some Roman Catholic parish, and left in a hurry, saying his car was  double-parked.

Dela Torre and his men then proceeded to the jewelry shop where they discovered that no one there had ordered the chandelier and had no idea who did. They had not heard of Gladys either.