I received this e-mail from Ms. Virgie Pasalo.I am sharing it to you.

OFWs Beware! Text Scams on the Loose.
Yesterday, I got this text message from cellphone number +639284207393 which states:

"SMART PADALA:CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WON NOKIA N90 FROM OUR NETWORK TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE PLEASE CALL TOLL FREE HOTLINE 09284203793 DTI PERMIT #2578"

I did not call this number because I do not send money through SMART PADALA and could not explain to myself why I would be in their list of winning numbers.

I got another one today from cellphone number +639207857269:
"Congratulations you won major prize promo raffles by PCSO please call dont text RENE RAMA 09109069804, 9am today release check prize REA RAMA sec. board of judges."

For two weeks now, I send my receipts to 9778, to participate in the Premyo Sa Resibo (PSR), a project of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to make tax collections more efficient. Since I was half-awake when I received the text at 6:55am, I thought I won the daily draw on Friday, October 13, from my receipt at Shopwise.

Doubting, but half-believing, I called the number of a certain Rene Rama, who informed me that the PCSO and SMART have an ongoing promotional activity in celebration of the PCSO Anniversary, and that they held an electronic raffle to share their blessings to SMART subscribers. The prize, P200,000 tax-free, will be under my name, and will be sent through the nearest Western Union nearest my residence. Unable to restrain myself, I asked, "Is this a scam?" He feigned offense and told me, "PCSO does not deal in scams, and anyway, if you do not believe his story, the prize will just be given to charity."

He then asked me to text my name and address at his cellphone number, and to call him immediately after I have done so. So I did. After that, he asked me to buy two SMART Buddy Prepaid Cards because according to him, it was because of SMART that they were able to access my cellphone number. He strongly reminded me that SMART requires not to use the cards, but to text their numbers to his cellphone number after which he will give me the two claim numbers at Western Union. I told him, "Okay, but I can not attend to that now, I will do that later." He replied, "We only work half-day on Sundays."

At 11:35am, impatient to wait for my call (which I intended to make in the presence of authorities), Rama texted an ultimatum,

"Kung hndi n kayo mag claim ibibigay k na s charity us donation. Kung mag claim p kayo pls call me now tnx."

There are several inconsistencies to this story. First, it is difficult to believe that PCSO works overtime on Sunday to inform winners to a raffle draw whose results can be announced on working days. Second, the text said that the prize will be in check, but now it was going to be sent through Western Union. Third, if I sent him the numbers of the SMART Prepaid Cards that he asked me to purchase, he can now key in the numbers and use it himself. Fourth, if I legitimately won a prize, why would he serve me an ultimatum? There are fifth, sixth and so many other inconsistencies, but these are enough to document how it is done, so I could warn others about their operation.

I surfed through the internet and found that some OFWs have similar experiences. When you receive a text message, make sure you are fully awake to understand the text, and do not buy those SMART Prepaid Cards and send the numbers to these con artists. If you do, you would have contributed in financing texts to use to scam others.

PLEASE WARN OFWS.

BURGOS, Pangasinan—The mayor of this coastal town is urging the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Crime Laboratory agents in Manila to release as soon as possible the results of the laboratory test on the suspected illegal drugs substance placed in drums and other containers which were seized in barangay Anapao hereSept. 28 yet.

This, as PNP elements in the province, suspect that a new modus operandi of illegal drug manufacturers seemed to have been conducted here with the suspects suspected to have encamped in the area using tents while manufacturing possibly shabu.

Mayor Domingo Doctor told this corner over the weekend in a telephone interview that eight big drums, about 20-galloner containers, several brown bottles suspected to have contained ephedrine, a substance used in making shabu, were left abandoned in the area.

These were discovered by joint elements of the local police, provincial police, elements of Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) after the lot owner, Wilson Bonilla, reported the incident to the mayor about five days later when he allegedly saw intruders camping inside his isolated lot in a hilly area.

But no one was arrested due to late reporting of the incident and only the abandoned paraphernalia were confiscated.

“We’re wondering what takes long the government agency concerned to release the result,” Doctor said in Tagalog.

He said they have “zero development” about it and they feel at a loss.

“Shabu ba yong mga nakumpiska o ano? Sa Manila ba dadalhin o saan (Were those seized shabu or what? For Manila or where)?,” Doctor asked.

He, however, said he has called a meeting among the barangay officials so that in case they come across new faces in their area, like foreigners, they should immediately report it to proper authorities.

Why Burgos?

Doctor said he is wondering why the suspects chose his town as the place for their illegal drugs manufacturing since it has been consistently adjudged drug-free. This town is among the coastal areas in western Pangasinan.

He said the suspects, with the new discovery of their style of manufacturing drugs, could be now doing a “guerilla operation”, doing their illegal trade by transferring from one place to another.

He said they are now possibly shifting their operation to rural areas.
“Dati sa building sila gumagawa. Ngayon mukhang iba na (Before, they did it in buildings. Now, it looks like it’s a different thing),” he said.

He said perhaps if the reporting was made timely, there could have been a bloody encounter between the suspects and government troops.

Police report posted only on Oct. 6 at the PNP Pangasinan website showed that recovered were two empty mineral water containers colored blue with Aqua Karada markings, two empty mineral water containers without marking, four empty blue container without cap, eleven empty blue container with cap, three empty black containers with cap, one blue container with unknown liquid substance, one greenish container with black residue inside, one empty big black bucket, four empty blue drums, one empty green galvanized container, one empty green galvanized container, one empty stainless steamer, 57 seven empty dark colored bottles, 20 white papers, four styrofoam containers, eight styrofoam containers with eight holes each, 66 rubber gloves, 10 rubber hoses, one cigarette pack with Chinese marking, one yellow funnel, one plastic with Chinese character markings.

Foods with Chinese character markings

Superintendent Noli Taliño, deputy police director for operations and also the provincial intelligence officer, told this writer in a separate interview that the suspects are possibly foreigners with local contacts.

He said the wrappers of foods left in the area by the suspects bore Chinese character markings. The abandoned bread also showed that the suspects have just left the area because they were not yet spoiled.

Doctor said the bottled drinking water seized also bore markings that these were made and brought from Dagupan City.

Taliño described the place as isolated, steep, slippery and bushy although it was about 100 meters away from the roadside. The surroundings had very foul smell, he said.

There were first camping site, second until the highest part where a tent was installed for possible manufacturing. At the peak, no one could smell what’s “being cooked” up there, the mayor said.

“Perhaps this could be a mobile shabu laboratory but we can’t conclude yet until we have received the results of the laboratory test,” Taliño said.

He was informed that the machine of Crime Laboratory was destroyed, thus the delay of the results’ release.

Some of the drums were buried, others already empty while some gallons had contents.

It may be recalled that sometime in 1999 there 422 kilos of shabu seized from four Chinese in Infanta town this province, a town near Burgos. This was then considered by authorities as the biggest shabu haul.