Con man who tricked 3 teenagers arrested

An alleged scam artist was arrested after he tricked three teenagers into turning over their belongings to him.

The police said Michael de los Santos, who was tracked down using the global positioning system installed in one of the cell phones he took from the victims, pretended to be a member of a fraternity conducting a survey on a law against hazing.

Fairview police station Supt. Dennis de Leon said that De los Santos had been arrested before and was collared again on Sunday in Caloocan City after his victims identified him through police file photos.

According to Jan Christian Villalon, 19; Miguel Luis Same, 18; and Paolo Herrera, 19, De los Santos approached them at 1 a.m. in front of a fastfood restaurant on Commonwealth Avenue.

He convinced them to go to another restaurant to participate in an antihazing law survey and told them to leave their belongings with a companion who stayed behind. But when they came back, their companion told them the suspect had taken their belongings.—Julie M. Aurelio