What seemed like an unbeatable deal on a 2014 Toyota Fortuner turned into a costly nightmare for a 40-year-old seafarer from Pavia, Iloilo, who lost P125,000 in a fraudulent sale. He later discovered that the sellers had only rented the vehicle and had no legal right to sell it.
Rod purchased the SUV from EJ, 25, of San Miguel, Iloilo, and his girlfriend, Christine, 25, of Mandurriao, Iloilo City, believing it was a legitimate transaction.
However, the rightful owner, Tanni, 60, had leased the vehicle to a rental shop, unaware that scammers had listed it for sale online.
After Rod and Tanni reported the scam, officers from Iloilo City Police Station 4 (ICPS 4) launched an entrapment operation.
At 8 pm on February 13, police arrested the couple inside a mall in Molo district as they accepted PHP10,000 from Rod. The suspects had demanded an additional PHP10,000, claiming it was for processing the deed of sale.
Investigators found that the couple had been running an elaborate scheme, renting vehicles from car traders and rental shops before reselling them online.
To deceive buyers, they often claimed they needed to sell quickly due to an urgent move abroad.
Rod only realized he had been scammed when he verified the vehicle’s documents at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and discovered they were falsified.
At least eight more victims have reported similar cases, and investigators believe the scammers may have been operating for some time. Authorities suspect they had accomplices who helped them exploit loopholes in the system.
Police are now finalizing criminal charges against the suspects.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.