A 31-year-old man who posed as a Taiwanese national and scammed a woman of P3 million was arrested in Barangay Payatas, Quezon City, on Thursday, July 23, after police tracked him through an AirTag hidden in her handbag.
The suspect, known only as alias “Mic,” allegedly contacted the victim’s recruitment agency on July 2, claiming he could secure accreditation to deploy overseas Filipino workers to Taiwan through the Responsible Business Alliance.
He told the victim the process required opening a US dollar account as financial assurance.
On July 22, the victim withdrew P3 million and exchanged it for $72,000 through the suspect.
They met at a Quezon City hotel, where “Mic” allegedly asked to carry the cash in the victim’s Fendi handbag, which also contained luxury items and an iPhone. He then left, claiming he would retrieve the dollars from his vehicle, but never returned.
After hours of waiting, the victim reported the incident to police.
Investigators later used the AirTag in her handbag to trace the suspect to his residence, where he was arrested at 6 a.m.
Recovered were P2.8 million in cash, the Fendi bag worth P300,000, and Louis Vuitton sunglasses valued at P45,000. The victim’s iPhone remains missing.
The suspect faces an estafa case under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
