Pinay vlogger in UAE scammed of 8 years' savings worth over P500K

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A popular Filipina vlogger has lost eight years worth of savings to an alleged scammer who promised good returns to money she invested in a café that was later on sold without her knowledge.

Mary Margarete “Em” Serrano, 33, of Magalang, Pampanga, said she still couldn’t believe she’s been swindled by, of all people, someone she had trusted so much.

“Sobrang nakakabahala po. Iba kasi yung scam sa phone, Facebook o email. Alam na alam mo na agad na scam. Pero ‘pag kaibigan mo, tipong ina-ate-ate mo pa, yung tiwala mo sa tao malaki. One hundred percent. Kasi face to face kami. Ito yung tipong hindi mo talaga maiisip na scam kasi tao na mismo kausap mo,” a visibly shaken Serrano narrated to GMA News Online.

(It’s worrisome because you’d easily know you’re being scammed if it’s on the phone, Facebook or email. But if it’s your friend, the kind you call ‘big sister,’ your trust to that person is deep. One hundred percent. We were transacting business face to face. This is the kind you wouldn’t think was a scam because the person was right there in front of you.)

Serrano, who is based in Abu Dhabi, has posted a vlog disclosing, in tears, the unfortunate incident, and advising people to be extra vigilant. She has 81,000 vlog followers. She has also shared her experience on TikTok, which has garnered over 100,000 views in just two days since posting.

“Bigla na lang akong naiiyak. Iba yung depression at trauma ‘pag naloko,” she said. 

(I’d suddenly be crying. The depression and trauma are of a different level when you realize you’ve been had.)

Serrano, school nurse by day, has sought help from the Philippine Embassy, which provided her a lawyer. She has also filed a case against the alleged scammer.

How it happened

Serrano, who came to Abu Dhabi on June 18, 2014, had only known the alleged scammer last year, when she was invited to do a vlog for a café opening on June 30, 2023. 

“Nag-trending po sila dahil sa vlog ko. So, dumami customers nila,” Serrano said. 

(They went trending because of my vlog. And so, they eventually got a big footfall.)

On September 7, Serrano said, the alleged scammer told her there were plans to expand the café’s operations in schools, owing to huge profits being made so far, and for this, investors were needed.

“Nung nag-usap kami, ang sabi nya kumikita raw yung café ng AED80,000 to AED100,000 per month, at ang pinaka-mababa ay AED60,000. Kaya na-encourage talaga ako na mag-invest,” said Serrano.

(When we talked, she said the café was making AED80,000 to AED100,000 a month, and the lowest earnings was AED60,000. That’s why I was really encouraged to invest.)

Serrano said she made four payments from Sept. 11, 2023 to Oct. 29, 2023 totaling AED37,000 – AED30,000 for her investment and AED7,000 to cover visa for her friend who’d be working at the café.

Something fishy

Serrano said she was supposed to start receiving a sales report by end-October but didn’t get any. 

“Nung November katapusan, may sinend siyang report, pero wala raw benta. Kaya ang sabi ko, ‘Paanong walang benta? Eh, ang sabi mo AED100,000 hanggang AED80,000 ang benta niyo per month? Kaya nga na-encourage akong mag-invest,” Serrano said. 

(By end-November, a report was given me showing the café didn’t make good sales. I said, ‘How could that be? You said sales were going up to AED100,000 a month? That was why I was encouraged to invest.)

The employment visa for her friend was also not issued, incurring fines. Likewise, no further sales report was made since December, prompting her to check out the café and get the report herself on August 21, 2024. That’s when she found out what was really going on.

“Wala na raw po siya. Ibinenta na raw po yung café nung March. Nakausap ko yung bagong owner na sinabing nai-benta na nga sa kanya nuong March. Para akong natulala kasi hindi ko alam na binenta, wala akong kaalam-alam. Naiyak ako ng sobra kasi niloko ako ng tinatawag kong ‘ate,’” said Serrano.

(I was told she was already gone. The café has already been sold in March. I was able to talk to the new owner who confirmed the sale. I was stunned. I didn’t know anything about it. I cried a lot because my ‘big sister’ scammed me.)

Eight years’ savings

Serrano said she doesn’t know the alleged scammer’s whereabouts these days. “No Facebook, no calling number,” she said.

Looking back, Serrano said she only wanted to make extra money for her family.

“AED37,000 or P584,600 – over half a million pesos na po ‘yun. Savings ko for eight years. Parang gumuho ang mundo ko. Maliit lang po suweldo ko as school nurse. Saktong pang padala lang sa Pinas at pambayad ng bahay,” she said.

(AED37,000 or about P584,600 – that’s over half a million pesos already. My savings for eight years. It’s like my world caved in. My salary as a school nurse is not much. Just enough to send money home and pay my rent.)

Serrano said her savings were mostly from being a commercial model, vlogger and brand endorser. She said she’s been very frugal. 

“Kahit tag-AED65 na damit, minsan hindi ko na po nabibili kasi mas iniisip ko na itabi na lang yung pera para sa savings. Kaya kung mapapansin nila sa vlog ko, minsan paulit-ulit na lang ang damit kong suot,” Serrano said. 

(I sometimes wouldn’t even buy a AED65 dress just so I could put the money in my savings instead. That’s why people would at times notice I have been wearing the same thing over again in my vlogs.)

It’s sad, Serrano said, that she’s been saving only to lose the money to someone she trusted but would cheat her. “Lesson learned,” she said, “is not to trust a friend because people change when it comes to money.”

The alleged scammer’s name couldn’t be made public in accordance with strict UAE cyberlaws. —KBK, GMA Integrated News