A 33-year-old man was arrested after robbing a restaurant in Barangay Bagumbayan, Quezon City on Tuesday night. According to the investigation, he was wearing a convenience store uniform and pretended to be an employee. He approached the staff and offered to change money. The victims trusted him and gave him P2,500.
A victim recalled that he was also victimized in April using the same method. They immediately asked for help from the guard, and the suspect was caught around 9:30 p.m. P2,500 and the used uniform were recovered. According to the police, he repeatedly commits fraud in restaurants, convenience stores, and coffee shops.
This modus operandi occurred not only in Quezon City but also in Pasay and Taguig. At a convenience store in Pasay, the suspect obtained P34,000 after convincing the staff that he would change the coins. In Taguig, the cashier of a food stall was also duped. According to the victims, the lost money was deducted from their wages and they almost lost their jobs.
There are more than 10 victims and the suspect has embezzled a total of P140,000. It also emerged that he was previously arrested in 2015 for the same case. He admitted to the crime and apologized, saying he did it for his siblings.
The suspect is currently in custody and will face a syndicated estafa case. Police advice to the public: be careful and do not simply trust those who claim to be employees, especially in this modus operandi.
