When Ariel (not his real name) saw on Facebook an offer promising 30%-profit in two months, he had his doubts. However, he invested in the company after reading testimonials of people gaining from the deal.
He was able to raise P100,000 and invested in it. He received his P30,000 profit in two months which encouraged him to put another P100,000. Only this time, he didn’t get another payout.
Ariel was scammed, just like 4,000 other victims of HPI Direct Sales and Trading Corporation headed by Darlito Dela Cruz, Ashley Ablan, and Ian Manguera.
The management pleaded for their investors to be patient, but future updates were never given. Some lost as high as P10 million from the scam.
The victims filed estafa charges against Dela Cruz with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). While there are no certainty that the money will be returned, they are not deterred.
Investment scams are widespread in the Philippines, many tempting people to invest with the promise of high returns over a short period of time. HPI Direct Sales combine networking by encouraging investors to recruit others in order to receive incentives.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has already flagged HPI Direct Sales on May 2015. They did not allow HPI Direct Sales to solicit investments from the public and warned the public against these schemes.
SEC has urged anyone with information about dubious companies to contact the Enforcement and Investor Protection Department at (+63 2) 584-6337 and (+63 2) 584-7652 or email inquiry@sec.gov.ph.
Source : rappler
