Scam suspect caught with drugs

The National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) Cybercrime Division has arrested a man who allegedly duped a woman of over half a million pesos through a dating app. Jermiah Jaime Vergara was also found in possession of cocaine and underwent inquest proceedings before a Mandaluyong City prosecutor for estafa, possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia. According to the complainant, she met Vergara on a dating app in March 2023 and he offered her a business proposal involving a condominium unit. She said she agreed to invest P350,000, equivalent to 10 percent of the condominium’s cost and was also promised a share of the property’s income. However, Vergara continued to ask her for more money, saying he needed to pay the real property tax and the transfer of the title, including the processing of their visas and plane tickets for a planned Paris trip. The victim said she gave a total of P765,000 but became suspicious when he asked her for more, prompting her to go to the NBI. —RUSSEL LORETO