“An angel crying for help.”
Wow, what a tag line! This SMS scammer should have been a copywriter for the advertising industry. It pinches the heart, doesn’t it? Then again, beware!
I received this text (in Fiipino) through my Globe number last January 25, 2010:
“Pued po b akong humingi ng 2long sa inyo? I’m marie, 21yo fresh grad po from Bacolod City. Gagawin ko po ang lahat ng kapalit na gusto nio, ma2lungan nio lng po akong makapunta sa mynila.My job hiring n asana po kc ako jan sa san mig-ortigas, syang po kc kung madissolve lng..Im willing to take the risks ng kpalit na hhngin nio. Un nlng tlga pgasa ko na mkluwas kgd pra mhbol deadline ko po. My pic & supporting docs po ako sa http://www.mariebacolod.tk – marie”
In my terms, it was “tagos sa puso.” I worked for San Miguel before and was sure this was indeed a great opportunity for new grads. If you had the money to give for fare for the sake of charity, why not? Forget the part “she’ll do anything in exchange” as it is so un-Christian. So I checked her site and read it. I researched on the web and alarm bells already sounded. It was a scam.
A few days later, this is the text I got:
Name: Marie Velasco
Age: 21
Birthdate: Feb 21, 1987
Height: 5'7"
Complexion: Fair
Vital Stats: 35-25-36
Hair: Long and straight
Other: joined some provincial pageants for allowance
Course: BS Information Management (Computer and Accountancy)
School: DOST Scholar in University of St. La Salle – Bacolod
Parents: Anna and Mario Velasco (both deceased)
Picture: www.mariebacolod.tk
So I just played along and texted back and asked how I could help and this was “her” initial reply:“My deadline na po sana kasi ako dis coming Feb 1 po.. 9am sa San Miguel ITServices department pos a ortigas. Junior IT Specialist po ung position na inaapplayan ko.. Sayang po tlga kc dhl related sa course ko.. Final briefing nlang po sana..”
Then I asked how much money was needed for fare, “her” reply was:
“Depende po kung saan nio ko pasasakayin.. Barko o eroplano po? Ung boat fare sa superferry is 2,350 po with 4 trips per week. Monday, wed, fri and Sunday po. While ung plane po is 3,268 with 3 flights EVERYDAY po”
By this time, it was obvious that this scammer has cut-and-paste answers. The actual fares were really cheap. The deadline was supposedly February 1 so the option of taking the boat was out of the question as it will take 2-3 days to get to Manila from Bacolod City. Besides, the fact that it takes the texter between 12 to 24 hours to respond means that “she” is not really that desperate and changes SIM cards, the one being used to scam not a permanent one.Here are the websites the scammer built for a tinge of legitimacy:
www.marievelasco.tk
www.mariebacolod.tk
www.avelasco.cjb.net
This text scam dates back to June 2008 from the first time a blog about it was posted and many other earlier posts on the subject. It has been active the whole of 2009 till this year as per my personal account.
Be careful out there my good-hearted friends. Wolves abound.
-Homer
Some links to other posts on the Anna Marie Velasco Text Scam:
http://makeuseoftime.blogspot.com/2009/03/annamarie-velasco.html
http://docmnel.com/2008/06/04/anna-marie-velasco-another-scam-in-the-making/comment-page-1/
http://menardconnect.com/2009/08/01/sms-scam-marie-velasco/comment-page-1/#comment-2417
http://kokoro15.multiply.com/journal/item/35
http://bluemaldita.livejournal.com/13298.html
http://blog.richardorlino.com/2009/12/the-anna-marie-velasco-scam/
http://www.filipinowriter.com/marie-velasco-mag-ingat-sa-manlolokong-ito
