The SUN Hong Kong
Screenshot of the FB account used to trick the 3 OFWs The Jesus is Lord Church in Hong Kong says it is not in any way linked to a man who had claimed to be a member of its branch in New Zealand so he could trick at least three Filipina domestic workers in the city into applying for non-existent jobs abroad. The man who used the name Jhon Marquez on Facebook had managed to convince the Filipinas to part thousands of dollars so they could take up his offer of working in New Zealand as “tomato picker” for which they would reportedly be paid the equivalent of Php35,000 a week. To sweeten the deal, “Jhon” who reportedly also said he was working with the Philippine embassy in New Zealand, promised the women that they could leave Hong Kong in just five months as long as they paid the processing fee. But after the victims sent money to e-wallets in the Philippines in the names of "John Michael Sana" and "Sarah Jane Sales" according to his instructions, Jhon blocked them all on Facebook. On being told about the apparent scam, JIL HK Pastor Bart Itong contacted his colleagues in New Zealand and they told him they did not know any Jhon Marquez, but will investigate further. JIL HK has also forwarded the records of the case to Senator Joel Villanueva, son of the church founder and spiritual director Eddie Villanueva, so Philippine authorities could also take action, noting that those who received the victims’ money are based there. Of the three victims, 43-year-old Donna lost the biggest amount. She got so excited about the job prospect that she realized only later that she had sent more than the original amount of Php62,000 that Jhon had asked for. Donna said she first learned about the New Zealand job last March 29 from her longtime neighbour, Marla, who is a devout JIL member. Marla reportedly told her that Jhon was sending workers to New Zealand and that there was a last remaining slot in the batch that would be deployed next. Donna was persuaded to grab the opportunity. Marla reportedly told Donna that all she had to pay was Php24,000 for the “red ribbon” (verification) of her work contract to start the ball rolling. Marla then introduced Jhon to Donna, saying he was with the Philippine embassy and could help obtain the verified contract. Donna was then asked to send a copy of her passport, birth certificate and diploma online, and told that the additional fee of Php38,000 was being waived as a concession. She said she initially sent Php8,000 through Alipay to the GCash account of Sales, number 09302216198, on March 29. But the next day, Marla reportedly told Donna that she must still pay the Php38,000 that was supposedly waived, per Sana’s instruction. After she received her salary on March 31 Donna sent money thrice to the Maya wallet of Sana, number 09101660256. The first amounted to Php4,515; the second, Php11,500; and the third was for P12,515. Sana then told Donna she must send more money for enrolment as that was due that same day. Donna did as she was told, and remitted a further Php30,015 to Sana. However, he said no money got into his account and told her to send an additional Php13,275. By this time, Donna had sent a total of Php79,820 That same afternoon, Sana reportedly reached out to her and the two other victims, Marla and Trina, via a video call. Donna said she was out of the house and could barely understand what was going on because of the bad connection. Later, she was shocked to discover that she could no longer see Sana’s account, making her realize that she had been scammed. Donna said Marla and Trina had also sent money to Sana, but in smaller amounts. However, they learned through a chat group formed by other victims, that many other OFWs, including those working in Singapore, had fallen into the same trap. One is said to have lost a total of Php190,000, all because of the mistaken trust she had placed on the man they thought would do no wrong as he had professed to be a man of faith.
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