I recently got a note from a reader who had just visited the Philippines. He wanted to submit an article for LiP, and I agreed to publish it. He asked that his full name not be used, only his initials, LB. So, here is LB’s article, I hope you enjoy it. You take it from here, LB, and thanks for your article submission. MindanaoBob
Dear LIP readers, i will tell you about a funny scam i discovered during my last stay in Metro Manila.
Before I go into the details, a little introduction: i am married to a wonderful Filipina and we came to visit her parents in the province. I love the provincial life, in a remote rural area, where you can hear the silence at night, where the air is clean, where you can enjoy the company of the hardworking farmers.
As most of you know, now and then you’ll need to spend a few days in the big city, maybe because you need some paperwork done (NBI, NSO, DFA, Embassy etc.).
This time we got stuck in the big city for more than 10 days (meeting some relatives who live and work here added to the time required to have the paperwork done).
I had lots of time to look around, while the papers were being carefully checked, double-checked, red-ribboned, legalized and what-elsed. Usually i went to get samples of different kinds of coffee that I’d then analyze. There are lots of kanos these days in Metro Manila and i am surprised to see that.
There are lots of kanos these days in Metro Manila and i am surprised to see that, unlike those who are accompanied by a Filipina, most of the single ones look very confused, very tired or both.
Since my observation takes place in a tourist area, you’ll understand why the scam is sometimes successful.
Let’s say you’re a tired and confused kano, having a hard time adjusting to the heat and slightly dumbed down by the roar and exhaust of the jeepneys all around; you’re trying to decide where to go to have breakfast and somebody (S) approaches you (Y).
S: “Hey, how are you?”
Y: “…” “err”
S: “I saw you at the hotel”
Y: “Oh, hi”
S: “I work there, by the way my name is Tony”
Y: “Nice to meet you, Tony, i’m Joe” (sorry, i couldn’t help the Joe joke)
S: “You know, Joe, today is my son’s birthday but my paycheck is due the day after tomorrow; can you help me with a few hundred Pesos to buy him a gift”.
So this is how it the Tony Scam works; they don’t look like homeless or squatters, they are clean and well dressed, they speak good English and they like to make a few hundred without having to work.
They pretend to be either head of room service, chef cook, security or some other high level employee; clearly they don’t want you to think that they are poor, just having a bad day or week.
They know that some tourists are actually overheated and confused and won’t probably remember the faces of all the real hotel staff.
If you stop them while they are playing you and ask “Sorry, which hotel?” they’ll find an excuse and say they have to go.
Another way to break their play without being unpolite is walk away really fast; they can’t or don’t want to keep up.
They all say their name is Tony, that’s why i call this thing “The Tony Scam”.
My advice to those who stay in a tourist area here in Metro Manila, especially those who like to take a lonely walk to have breakfast or just stroll in the mall, is be aware of this Tony Scam; try to memorize the faces of the staff in the place you’re sleeping and keep in mind that the real hotel staff would never jeopardize their job approaching guests out of their workplace. They are probably more than happy with their paycheck and the occasional big tip.
Anyway this is my 1st contribution to LiP; thanks to Bob for having me here and, if you meet him, greet Tony for me.
Grabeha oi! Sa Manila ra ni Bob and nothing like this in Davao? Kay masuko man si Mayor Inday Sara. Will share. Thanks Bob!
Lagi, Jonathan. Walay scams diri sa Dabaw. Oi, karon si Rody Duterte and Mayor diri, papa ni Sara. 😉
Diay? Abi nako si Inday Sara gihapon. Favor gyud mi nga mag run si Mayor for the 2016 Presidential Election, He is the only hope for the Philippines and his vision of federated states will help quell the fighting in Mindanao. I just wish the US will back him up so they can have a base in Palawan to counter the Chinese expansion. There is massive oil and gas deposits dinha sa Spratlys.
Hi Jonathan. LIving in Davao, it would certainly be nice to see a Dabawenyo president! Or a Mindanaoan from anywhere in Mindanao would be refreshing.
LB;
I’m sure I know Tony’s brother…..
hi Paul – I think Tony has lots of brothers… sisters too! ha ha
Tony probably must have a lot of children what with all of the birthdays thay are having!
Cheers
AJ UK
LB,
Even if he worked at the hotel that you were staying at, I would still never give him any money. You don’t even know him. Common sense is all that is needed to prevent from being scammed.
Agreed; it’s OK to leave a nice tip to the hotel staff because their service was 1st class but no birthday gift for Tony’s kids.
Why would you give any money to someone you don’t know?….maybe some people are so gullible that they do need to be scammed to be educated , so if it’s only a matter of a few hundred peso they lose it could be a blessing in alerting them that all people are not just trying to be friendly , there are a few that are trying to scam you..so if you lose a few hundred and become a much wiser person it may help you in the future not to fall for the big one.
One of the oldest ones!
U can smell that one
I will share but I’m not proud of
One of the oldest scams out there, right along with “let’s go play cards”.
Just want to share a similar experience hubby and I had while crossing the street going to Megamall last year. As we were crossing the street, this guy approached us and said, “Hey man, where are you from?” Hubby has been living in and out of the country for about 8 yrs now, so he’s no stranger to things like this happening. So he didn’t reply, but I replied for him. My reply was, “Why do you wanna know?” He looked at me and said, “Coz I’m from USA. And my sons are there now too.” I replied, “Who cares? We never asked and we don’t wanna know. Good day to you, sir.” And we walked inside the mall. The man never went in, just casually walked away. The trick is never indulge them in a conversation, shut them out right away. It doesn’t matter if people think you’re being rude, better rude than sorry.
I read something similar to this in a travel book about 10 years ago. Instead of a hotel worker, it was tonys acting as your passport officer, the airline attendant, etc.
I wonder if these people are competing for a ” Tony ” award to see which Tony can scam the most money. Must be a lot of competition in the scamming business.
Hi LB,
I don’t think this type of scam is just a Filipino thing. I get it at gas stations in the USA. The only difference is they lost there wallet and need gas to get home. I saw a guy do it to another man and right after the guy gave a few of bucks the scammer went into the gas station and bought a victory cigar.
Hi Jay,
i know for a fact that some years ago many young guys used to beg money in the biggest railway station in Rome, pretending that their wallets were stolen and they needed to buy a ticket to go back home.
Of course you could spot them day after day and you realized that they were probably making easy money for dope & booze.
No, this kind of things don’t happen only in the Philippines but i just wanted to share what i witnessed there.
These scams are not just in the Philippines. Happens all over. Asking for donations is a big business. Whether it is legitimate or not. To me it still feels the same when I say no.
One time I went to the grocery store, to get some milk. The cashier asked me to make a donation to some charitable organization. When I got to my car, some man in the parking lot, asked me to help him out, claimed he was with some nature society. When I pulled out of that stores parking lot, I pulled right into the drive in at McDonald’s, wife wanted some fries. They asked me to make a donation to their organization. Dropped off the fries and milk to my wife. And headed to the office, but on the way I stopped by the drug store, I saw in the corner of my eye a man heading my way in a motorized wheel chair, I have seen him before, he rides his wheel chair around town like an SUV, when I got out of my car. I ran in the store, thinking he would be gone when I got out…. nope he was waiting next to my car. I told him NO before he even asked. Then I pushed my way into my car. He pulled his wheel chair in front of my car, and wouldn’t move. And few small surges of my vehicle, let him know I wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.
Now I am finely at my office where no one can bother me, a phone call, it is a “Hired Gun” fundraiser, wanting my business to do a fundraiser for the charitable organization he works for that day, I guess. I have a feeling he will be working with another organization tomorrow. He was good, but just told him my business was already a charitable organization. (not planned that way, just ended up broke)
Now I know some of my solicitations from that day was a scam and some was not. But either way there is big money in it, for both. Recently saw something on TV about a paid actor standing on a corner for two hours and getting $150. That is $75 an hour, all tax free money, then a majority of people who do this in the USA get other benefits from the government. (Valued at $25,000-$35,000 year? Health care, disability benefits, housing, etc) So in my eyes they are living large.
Like I said before some are legitimate, some are scams, but to me when I say no, personally it takes just a little bit of my soul.
The “Tony Scam” is still going on? No surprise, way too many “Tony”s out there in Manila.
The first thing that just didn’t work with me is that he ‘works at my hotel’. Heh, I din’t have a hotel! By my second day in Manila I had a rented condo and by the time the first “Tony” tried that scam on me months later I was well aware he wasn’t one of the entrance-desk guards.
Nice try “Tony”. My bayaw (brother-in-law) is Barangay Tanod, let’s go visit there. “Ali ka na ha” (let’s go!). Best delivered in the vernacular: “Since you work at some hotel and are rich Tony, you’ll buy lunch at the Barangay officina, yes”?
It’s hard to shame them beyond that because they run away way way fast.
On an ob-note, I count as casual friends the fake-Rolex sellers in Malate and omni-parked taxi-drivers, we understood who we respectively are quite a few years ago and I’m sure that if I ever wind up back there we’ll be just fine. Some of the many things to miss having left the Big City.