National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrested last Friday a woman who offered multi-million fake gold bar deals to foreigners in Makati City.
The NBI-Anti-Organized Transnational Crime Division (NBI-AOTCD) urged yesterday the other victims of Marlene Rioveros Buenaventura to show up at the bureau and file their complaints.
It was learned that she had already victimized nine Japanese nationals.
Buenaventura was nabbed in an entrapment operation after her latest victim, a Japanese who requested anonymity, sought the help of the bureau over the suspicious scheme of the suspect.
Lawyer Martini Cruz, executive officer of AOCTD, said Buenaventura offered the victim 52 gold bars weighing 1 kg each. She claimed that she has an access to bulk of gold bars in Singapore.
Cruz said Buenaventura would always show her victims documents that prove the existence and authority to transport gold bars.
Investigation showed Buenaventura would often meet her victims outside the country.
Buenaventura met her latest victim in Singapore where she showed him several pieces of gold bar.
“This is a case of another budol-budol modus,” Cruz said.
The victim finally realized that he was already being fooled by Buenaventura when the latter asked for another P3.3 million payment on November 29. This prompted him to seek the help of the NBI.
The victim said he was able to pay the suspect a total of P22 million on several occasions.
The NBI launched the entrapment operation after Buenaventura demanded another P300,000 that will allegedly be used to bribe certain Bureau of Customs official to make the transportation of gold bars possible.
Cruz said Buenaventura denied the allegations against her, claiming that she had done two legitimate transactions in the past. (Betheena Kae Unite)