FIRST TIME FILING A POLICE REPORT DUE TO AN ONLINE SCAM

Posting an awareness that no one asked for, but we must educate everyone. If we know we have the right to complain, please do so. These people must realize that they cannot always flee and must accept the consequences. So, on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, I sought for a location to stay for at least one night so that we could prepare for our company's YEP. I looked on Facebook Marketplace and decided to reserve a condo for one night for our convenience; I live far from the event location, as does my friend, so we decided to book the property so that we could both attend the party together. To be honest, I was rethinking going to the party because I was still healing from being hospitalized. I was just doing this since I'm returning to our province and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to bond with my coworkers, especially because we don't see each other very often because we primarily work from home. Going back, I saw this posting and I love the location, the perspective, and the lighting, especially since my friend plans to record the whole thing, so the room is ideal. I messaged the agent and asked if it was available for Saturday, and he quickly responded YES. I was like great, this is so wonderful, and he even sent the photo. He presents himself as being associated with the condo or the properties. He appears to be legitimate because he knows one of the previous employees that I know of previously. So I answered without hesitation, "Yes, we will book the room."

The first red flag is that he requests the reservation fee and requests that I send it immediately so that he can reserve the room; why is this a red signal? A legitimate representative would not force you to send the reservation fee right away and would even agree to provide the IDs later if I paid the reservation price first. I promised him I would, however my Gcash App is on my backup phone because it stopped working on my primary phone after my vacation.
He was relentless, and for some reason, I didn't see this coming. He was very responsive in chat and even complimented my font, look at how sweet his tongue is? He became unresponsive after I paid for the reservation. I sent him a message the next day, Thursday, and he responded Friday afternoon. I asked for the room or unit number, as well as which floor and where to get the key and pay the remaining balance of 800 pesos, and he simply said 11th floor. As a consumer, this is a red flag, but I still accept the word "Busy"; perhaps he was doing errands and couldn't respond right away, but he saw my message. I'm already skeptical that this will work, so on the day we're supposed to check in, I message him at 6:00 a.m., asking for the information I needed before going to the condo in advance so I know what details to give to my friend who's doing our make-up so he can just wait at the lobby while we're on our way.

I still didn't get a response, so I messaged him again at 10:00 a.m., then called him, but the phone didn't ring. I was in pain at the moment because of the stress he put me through. I contacted Horizon 101's Facebook page to report this, and while exchanging messages with the person in charge of their online account, she asked me to call them to explain, and I discovered that this Vergel Belong is banned from Horizon due to the same issue of charging a reservation fee but not reserving a unit. They provide me the front desk number as well as the Property management number in order for me to file an action. I gave him the opportunity to refund my reservation fee, but he refused and gaslighted me, saying that it was my fault after all and that I was scamming them by canceling the reservation and no one stays in the unit, to which I responded that if I were to scam you, why would I pay for the reservation fee, and he wanted me to drop by at their house and get the refund, I'm sorry but I'm not that stupid putting my life in danger, it is their property and he can do whatever he want and can make up stories that I am trespassing. I said, "Please wait for the escalation because the money you stole from me will be returned to me in no time," but I won't let anyone fall for your fraud, and your Horizon partner should be held liable for your mistake. Horizon will call me and listen to my side of the story; I will never request a refund, but I want these folks to stop using their sob stories and gaslighting people for their own benefit.

I reported him on Facebook and identified him as a scammer, and he tried to contact me, DMed me, and I previously reported him and yesterday I finally filed a Police report. Lesson learned: instead of using Facebook's market place to book hotels and accommodations, we should use the app. I will not stop until these men stop exploiting their masculinity to threaten others. You are barking up the wrong tree, and if they were able to get their way with other clients they deceived, try me!

It is not how much the money that was taken away from me that I get so mad at, but the stress I've had to face outside of this situation. I hope he stop scamming people and he needs to learn to earn money legally.

_{Explorewithsasha Blog about her passion, daily and weekly routine, travels, and experiences, and in between. I welcome comments and feedback to improve my content and to continue learning.}

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