A woman in Bacolod City who invested P500,000 in a chemical product that converts used engine oil purportedly into premium oil was duped.
Alias “Lalaine,” 50 years old, received plain flour in exchange for half-a-million pesos in investment.
Lalaine said that she was lured into investing in the said chemical product after meeting personally the two scammers.
From Bacolod City, the victim traveled to Metro Manila on March 11, 2025 to meet the scammers who earlier claimed to be an architect and a Chinese businessman who offered the product.
“Ayon sa kanila, ang one box is worth P1.1 million, pini-pressure nila ako to give P3.5 million for three boxes. May pressure, may kuyog, may hipnotismo. Nag-shell out ako (ng) P500,000,” Lalaine narrated.
She added that the scammers got her contact number online in February 2025 as she was selling a property in an area in Luzon.
The transaction on the said property did not push through, but she was offered by the scammers investment opportunities through the said powder product.
“Mayroon daw silang planta sa Subic. They have yung used oil from different countries, pinapadala sa atin dito then itong chemical para ma-purify ang used oil, maging premium oil. Pinakita niya ang video ng planta, liquid siya,” Lalaine further said.
Lalaine met the scammers several times until they won her trust, according to her niece, Lyn.
“Nagpapanggap sila. Ang lahat ng pera na nai-save niya para sa emergency fund, so nagalaw niya,” Lyn pointed out.
Lalaine has reported her circumstance to the authorities, and the flour as among pieces of evidence.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Bacolod District Executive Officer, Agent William de Arca, Jr. said that the offer is “too good to be true.”
“Ang offer nila is too good to be true. Red flag na sya. Hindi ka makaka-avail ng ganoon kataas na investment sa mga legitimate. They are all illegal, nagpapataas sila (ng) return of investments,” de Arca emphasized.
Further, NBI vowed to assist in establishing the identities of the scammers.
