Widow in Mandaue loses P355,000 to con artists

A 62-YEAR-OLD widow in Mandaue City lost P355,000 cash to con artists who tricked her into surrendering cash with a promise that she would be a part of their new business.

Ma. Ester Imperial of H. Cortes Street, barangay Subangdaku, said she met the swindlers in a fastfood chain in Mandaue on Thursday.

A woman approached and introduced herself as a Malaysian looking for a company selling food preservatives.

SPO2 Marcos Noval Jr. of the Mandaue City Police Office said Imperial was convinced to withdraw cash from the bank to invest in the new venture.

The woman had claimed that she was planning to put up a business and persuaded Imperial to be a business partner. The woman gained her trust by offering to give her $50,000 on the spot.

Imperial was accompanied to the bank by the woman and a man posing as her husband who drove them on a black Sports Utility Vehicle.

Accompanied by the con artists, Imperial withdrew P230,00 from a bank in Cebu City then an additional P125,00 from another bank in a mall at the North Reclamation Area.

Imperial was brought home where she turned over the cash to her new friends. In return, they left her with a bag she thought contained $50,000. Inside the bag was worthless pieces of paper. /REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS