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MANILA, Philippines — Criminal complaints have been filed against some 18 individuals for reportedly victimizing public school teachers in various parts of the country through a car loan scam, according to an official of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz said about 80 teachers from Pampanga, Bataan, and other provinces have been duped by this syndicate’s modus.
The modus, he said, involved enticing individuals to avail of a car loan where applicants were asked to pay cash to cover the down payment for the vehicle with the promise of eventually receiving a passive income since the car would supposedly be used for transport network vehicle service (TNVS).
“Itong nakuha natin 18 fine-lan ng kaso meron sa Quezon City, Pampanga, at Bulacan, iba iba […] Kung san nirelease yung sasakyan dun po tayo nag fi-file ng kaso,” Cruz during a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.
READ: Over 60 teachers duped by ring giving ‘easy’ car loan for ‘TNVS biz’
READ: Public warned vs car loan scammers targeting public school teachers
(We have already arrested 18 individuals and filed a case against them in Quezon City, Pampanga, and Bulacan, among others. We filed the cases at the location where these cars were released.
Last October, the PAOCC official said these fraudsters allegedly have connections with car dealerships and bank employees to facilitate pre-arranged loan approval.
He revealed that teachers who filed the complaints initially received about P15,000 payment for six months before they stopped receiving the promised passive income. Aside from these victims, Cruz said more teachers are not yet filing complaints since they are still earning the monthly payment.
Upon further investigation, Cruz said the vehicles these teachers availed were used to another scheme called the “pasalo scam,” wherein another set of individuals was tricked into purchasing them.
Earlier, Cruz encouraged victims to report these scammers to the nearest police station or the main office of the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group.
Meanwhile, an October statement of the Department of Education likewise advised teachers to remain vigilant against financial scams, urging them to report similar or other incidents or contact their Public Assistance and Action Center at 8636-1663 and 8633-1942 or email at depedactioncenter@deped.gov.ph for help.