Thank you for reading my previous blog post, “When I knew it was time to go,” and for sending messages of concern. I appreciate you all <3 I am doing well, salamat sa grace ni Lord 🙂
Today I wanted to share the lessons I’ve gathered from my experience noong na scam ako, and how I managed to recover from it.
I have 11 things to share, and I hope you’ll find them insightful.
Here are the lessons I learned from this scam experience:
1. Never make decisions when you are emotional.
Dati di ko nagegets ibig sabihin nila dito, pero totoo pala na wag kang basta basta magdecide kapag nasa state ka ng emotional. Naalala ko yung isang pyschologist na nakausap ko, sabi nya make decisions kapag medyo kumalma kana ha. Kase mataas yung probability na mali yung maging decision kapag nasa state tayo ng sobrang saya or sobrang lungkot.
Pero kung manlilibre ka kapag sobrang saya mo, okay lang din naman, just call my number and I’ll be there (HAHAHA). Kidding aside, looking back, I wish I had done this: Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
How I really wish, I made the right decision – to ask God’s help in my situation. How I really pray na noong patong patong ang problems sa life, sana kay Lord ako nagpahinga edi sana nakapag isip ako ng tama.
Iba talaga ang magagawa ng word of God lalo na kapag sinunod talaga natin Sya.
2. Don’t ignore the signs.
I honestly saw those signs very clearly, but it was only after I was scammed that I fully realized their significance. It’s unfortunate it was already too late.
This job opportunity, I came across it in job postings on Facebook. I was extra careful pa nan ha, but somehow, I got convinced.
When I contacted the person who posted it, he gave me instructions.
He even showed me someone he claimed was their manager, so I reached out to that manager. When I got in contact with this so-called “manager,” they had a protocol: I needed to send 2K. So, I used my GCash account to send money. First and a lot of attempts, di nagsesend yung 2K gamit gcash ko (sign na pala yun na wag ko ng ituloy). Dahil desperate ako na magkawork, ayun pinilit ko pang mag padala ng 2K. At di ko inaasahan na ang araw na yun ay araw ng pagkuha nila ng higit pasa two thousand. They gave me a website (susyal diba? Level up na scammer). Syempre di ako aware na joke lang pala yung website nila. Papaniwalain ka nila na matagal na business nila pero ang totoo, nacreate lang yung website and soon will expire. Maeexpire kase nga pang scam nila yun. Yung website ay full of pin codes na sakanila lang daw mang gagaling. Bawat code, may bayad. At papangakuan ka nila na makukuha mo na yung na-invest mo kapag binayaran mo yung sinasabe nila. Medyo masakit pero di ako nag-isip na “It’s a prank” na pala to.
3. Don’t believe everything you see in the comment section, no matter how promising it seems.
I did conduct some inspections, but I misinterpreted what I found. Those people I saw in the comments turned out to be fake accounts. They were thanking this “manager” for helping them earn money through investments. Madami mga congratulations and thanksgiving doon sa FB account nitong manager. ANG DAMI NILA BUT THEY WERE ALL FAKE.
4. Don’t trust anyone too easily.
The reason I initially trusted that person was because I saw that their business was anchored in the word of God. Little did I know, they could also use that to deceive others. (nateteary eye ako ngayon ah)
Learn to verify pictures and names to confirm a person’s identity. Honestly, I did try to do some research beforehand, but I was truly convinced I was talking to a real person. Well, they were a real person, pero di nga lang totoo yung name and picture nila.
When I was still trying to plead for them to return my money, a thought crossed my mind: what if this picture is fake. So, I used my phone, scanned her picture, and discovered that it was the Prime Minister in United Kingdom 😭💔 It shattered my hopes of getting back the money they stole from me.
Turns out, the person I was communicating with was also fake. So, please be cautious. You have a scanner on your phone—scan the image and scrutinize it carefully. Never communicate with someone you’ve never met or don’t know. Please never give them any personal information about you – your IDs and so on.
5. Surrender your brokenness to God.
Honestly, if I hadn’t done that – surrendering everything to God, I might still be crying and bitter about what happened. Surrendering to God means allowing Him to give you the right attitude for a situation like that. Surrendering everything to God helped me move on so quickly. Surrendering and putting your faith in God allows Him to reveal His greatness to you. Even though Satan may be mocking you for what happened in that situation, the goodness of the Lord can easily overcome it.
6. Gcash can hold the money in the recipient’s account if you report it immediately.
If, by any chance, you send money to the wrong person via Gcash, you can retrieve it if the recipient is uncooperative – yung tipong nakiusap kana na naibalik sayo yung cash mo na napamali na nasend sakanila. Use this link to report the incident to GCash and provide them with the receipt of your GCash transaction: click here. Just follow the necessary steps and wait a few hours—your money will be returned to you.
Unfortunately as for my own scam experience, I reported all of my transactions. They could have retrieved it, but the scammers withdrew it too quickly. Gcash center advised me to file a report at the police station to permanently block the numbers they used for their scam.
7. I had the chance to feel loved in times of mistakes/failures.
I am very thankful that the Lord have given me a boyfriend that loves me like God does. Though the situation seems to be negative, I still received the comfort I never expected.
The day after I was scammed I decided to file a case to the police station. My boyfriend doesn’t know about it. But the Lord speaking to me to tell him what happened. And I confessed and he followed me and hinatid nya ko papuntang police station. Nung nagkita kami ng bf ko, I heard him say very gently, “Take it as a lesson learned. Huwag mo ng isipin yon. Next time magtanong ka sa akin para macheck ko.” **and he just let me cry para mawala yung lungkot na nararamdaman ko.
Advice ko lang: Please, to those whom you know have been victims of scams, use a very timely word. Avoid speaking negative in front of them. Bago mo pa sabihin yung negative, nasabi na nila yan sa sarili nila. Before you even hate them for failing in that aspect, they already hate themselves. Please, instead of throwing bad words at them, comfort them and show them help – that’s what they need.
I was helped by someone I truly love. Thank God for you life, my love. <3
8. You can still choose to be positive.
Alam nyo ba, nung nasa police station ako, pinangaralan ako ng mga pulis HAHAHA! So sad kasi wala silang magagawa, walang maayos na sistema ang Pilipinas paano itrace ang mga taong ito. FB is not created in the Philippines, we have no control over its system. If I file a case against these scammers, that will be time-consuming and I will just waste my time and money. Kasi wala naman mangyayare dun sa scammer. Actually they told me, ang isang ID pwedeng magawan ng 10 accounts sa gcash. Kasi pwedeng baguhin. I wish gcash would improve their system too. Sana di na maging channel ng scammer ang gcash app. I pray na walang makaregister na account na may masamang plano (kaso imposible yun).
So instead of pagkwentuhan ang mga kalungkutan dahil sa scam, aba’y nakakwentuhan ko mga pulis. They just shared their real-life experiences. And that time, I think of God. Grabe yung experience na to, imagine mo minsan sa buhay ko nakasalamuha ko yung mga pulis na ayaw ko minsan makausap kase nakakatakot sila 😂 Pero grabe pala buhay nila, tao din pala sila na may mga kasiyahan ding ginagawa sa personal nilang buhay. 😂 Akala ko kase, serious type lahat ng police. 🤣 I thank God for the experience.
9. Bawat problema may solusyon.
Just so you know, utang ko lang part of the scam sa akin. Kasi ang nangyare, para mahabol ko yung pera ko I have to send money again kase that’s what they promised pero actually hindi totoo.
So yung nautang ko na nascam, ginawan ko ng paraan. May time limit kasi need ng bayaran yon. Pinagkatiwala ko sa Lord ang lahat, at tinulungan nya akong masolusyunan yun with the help of my loved ones. ❤️ Nabayaran ko na at ngayon nagbabayad pa din hahaha but it’s okay. Part ng consequences sa mga taong di nakikinig kay Lord. Sobrang thankful ako kase di ako iniwan ni Lord 🥹 He was there the whole time, pinapalakas Nya ako at pinapatatag.
10. Forgive and let God do the rest.
I had the chance to express my anger and my heart towards these scammers but as I think of the Lord, He just tells me, forgive and let go. Kung ako lang talaga gustong gusto ko na silang sumpain hahaha gustong gusto ko maranasan nila yung malulupit na karanasan sa buhay pero hindi yun yung gusto ni Lord. Sa pagtatapos ng pag uusap namin, I release them in prayer, I forgive this people and let them change. Di ko man makita yun Lord, pero wag nyo ng hayaan madami pa silang mavictim.
Sa tingin nyo ba, tumigil na nga ba sila? Ang sagot ay hindi.
They are still operating their bad schemes. Kaya ang payo ko lang, wag mo ng hayaan mangyare sayo ang nangyare sa akin o sa ibang na scam.
Kung kailangan mo ng trabaho maghanap ng may baong katalinuhan. Wag masilaw sa mga easy money jobs. Sabi nga ni Lord sa Proverbs 13:11, “The more easily you get your wealth, the sooner you will lose it. The harder it is to earn, the more you will have.”
The world we are living in right now ay di talaga pabuti pero pasama, pero wag matakot, ito yung mas higit na oras para mas lalong makinig sa Lord at sumunod.
11. Yung kinuha ng kaaway (Satan) sa buhay mo, ibabalik ni Lord ng higit pa sa ineexpect mo.
The Lord is always in control. Dahil anak ka ni Lord, di ka Nya pababayaan basta patuloy kang sumunod at magtiwala sa Kanya.
Pinanghawakan ko lang ang Lord sa kwento ng buhay ni Job, sa kabila ng lahat ng naranasan nya sa buhay, nanatili syang obedient sa Lord, nawala man lahat sa kanya, nanatili sya sa pagtitiwala kay Lord, and in return binless sya ni Lord doble pa sa unang blessings na meron sya noon.
My message to all who have experienced na ma-scam: I feel your pain, it’s okay to cry and be mad. But I hope the things I shared above would help you see, God is with you and cares about you. Si Lord ang gaganti sayo! <3 Sa paraan Nya at di natin paraan. Leave it in His hands.
Kaya, thank You God for everything! <3 Thank you for being there with me, and for always showering me with Your love and favor, I don’t deserve any of those things but thank You so much! You deserve all the praises and glory. Iba ka talaga, Lord!
Kaya sayo na nagbabasa nito, praying for you this time. Sana si Lord ang lapitan mo sa lahat ng oras lalo sa panahon na di mo alam ang gagawin mo. May pangako si Lord sa mga lumalapit sa Kanya:
“When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” – Psalms 91:15-16
Happy to share with you this learnings ng buhay ko. I hope you learned something. Hangad kong magtagumpay ka sa buhay kasama si Lord, at I am really praying na di ka ma-scam, kaya please be careful! I care for you.
Love,
My Story of Faith