A 51-year-old housewife in Mandaue City lost her wedding ring and P1,200 cash to two female con-artists who used a familiar ruse—a fake bundle of money called a budol-budol.
Ester Villamor of barangay Maguikay didn’t realize the stranger she was helping on the street was a swindler.
Villamor reported the incident to the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) but it was too late.
The housewife was on her way to the bank past 9 a.m. when a woman in her 40s approached her and asked for help.
The woman said she was a dried fish trader whose truck just broke down along the MC Briones flyover and that she was looking for someone to tow her truck.
A second woman in her 40s arrived and tried to sell them beauty products.
The two women made it appear that it was a chance meeting and that the second woman knew a forwarder who could tow the truck.
Villamor was convinced to accompany them.
While walking together, the women convinced the housewife to be the custodian of the businessman’s cash amounting to P40,000, which was wrapped in a cloth, because it was risky carrying the cash on the street.
As a guarantee, the women asked for Villamor to exchange something of value—her P1,200 cash and three rings, including a wedding ring, a Chinese gold ring and a ring adorned with diamonds all worth P20,000.
The housewife agreed and turned over the jewelry and cash.
After half an hour, with no trace of the women, Villamor opened the bundle and found only cut-up pieces of paper with a P100 bill on top.
TRS chief Insp. Ramil Morpos warned the public to be wary of strangers asking for help and making it appear that they are entrusting their money to you; that’s the modus operandi of a budol-budol gang./correspondent Fe Marie Dumaboc