Ambush pickpocket attempt on Winston! Was it a setup?

[Winston]

U won't believe this. Last night I met this cute girl on a jeepney who seemed like a decent person. She ignored me at first but then began following me. And then chatted me up. But I didnt know what her intentions were. She claimed to be a waitress in a Korean restaurant not a bar girl.

She didn't want to hang out on fields cause she didn't like it and said she didn't like crowds and whores. So we walked on a backstreet through MacArthur highway and went to a coffee shop.

When we left the coffee shop because her mom wanted her home, she insisted on walking on the highway rather than riding the jeepney. That was odd. Suddenly we were surrounded by three dirty beggar kids who grabbed me and tried to pickpocket me but all they got was paper out of my back pocket as I frantically tried to shake myself loose and was considering kicking them. I thought I was about to be mugged and lose all my valuables, or get into a violent struggle. My life was flashing before my eyes. But they left with only paper receipts from my back pocket.

Then one minute later a motorbike came up behind us and the guy behind the driver grabbed her purse and tore it from her violently. The shoulder strap broke and they sped away. She was devastated and said her mom would kill her even though she only lost a cheap cell phone and 1200 pesos. She asked if I could reimburse her 500p. But I said nothing and thought that was odd.

I told her we should hurry back to fields where it was safer. But she walked into a backstreet instead. I didnt want to follow her this time or take any more chances on any backstreet late at night after two theft incidents in a row. So I went my way and she did not follow me to fields but continued on her back route.

I felt the whole thing was strange and felt like a setup. Was she part of it? What do u think? She was light skinned and unlikely to be a scammer since usually only dark skinned filipinos here scam in my experience. (not to be racist) she seemed simple and kind too. But I couldn't tell what her motives were for hanging out w me. She did not express any. And it was suspicious that she kept wanting to walk all the time in areas away from people. It was like she wanted us to be in some remote area. Plus I've walked alone on that highway at night many times before and never seen anything happen. So it should have been safe in my experience. Yet around her two incidents happen in just one minute? Very odd.

However, if it was a setup why would she agree to tear the shoulder strap off a nice looking purse and damaging it like that just to scam 500p off me? That seems like a lot of trouble just to try to get 12 dollars from me, which may not even work. I don't see how me giving her that would help anyway since she still lost her purse and cell phone. Plus its her fault for not listening to me when I told her we should walk on the other side of the highway which was safer and more comfortable.

So if she's not in on it then she must have been really stupid and reckless to insist on walking when there was a jeepney waiting for us at the coffee shop. Plus there was no need to have left fields ave in the first place. So she's either part of a really stupid plot or really stupid and unlucky. What do u think? Either way I'm really angry that she almost caused me to lose all my valuables including my smart phone and passport in such an unnecessary manner.

Here are her photos on Facebook if u want to gauge her vibes. She looks very normal but some of the people on her friends list w the same last name as her look really seedy like they could be gangsters or into petty crime. Maybe one of them was the thief on the motorbike?

http://www.facebook.com/marry.valderrama1

Her other Facebook profile:
http://www.facebook.com/mlvalderrama

Perhaps I should try to call her stolen phone from a blocked number to see if she answers it. If she does then we know it was a setup.

[Rock]

U won't believe this. Last night I met this cute girl on a jeepney who seemed like a decent person. She ignored me at first but then began following me. And then chatted me up. But I didnt know what her intentions were. She claimed to be a waitress in a Korean restaurant not a bar girl.

She didn't want to hang out on fields cause she didn't like it and said she didn't like crowds and whores. So we walked on a backstreet through MacArthur highway and went to a coffee shop.

When we left the coffee shop because her mom wanted her home, she insisted on walking on the highway rather than riding the jeepney. That was odd. Suddenly we were surrounded by three dirty beggar kids who grabbed me and tried to pickpocket me but all they got was paper out of my back pocket as I frantically tried to shake myself loose and was considering kicking them. I thought I was about to be mugged and lose all my valuables, or get into a violent struggle. My life was flashing before my eyes. But they left with only paper receipts from my back pocket.

Then one minute later a motorbike came up behind us and the guy behind the driver grabbed her purse and tore it from her violently. The shoulder strap broke and they sped away. She was devastated and said her mom would kill her even though she only lost a cheap cell phone and 1200 pesos. She asked if I could reimburse her 500p. But I said nothing and thought that was odd.

I told her we should hurry back to fields where it was safer. But she walked into a backstreet instead. I didnt want to follow her this time or take any more chances on any backstreet late at night after two theft incidents in a row. So I went my way and she did not follow me to fields but continued on her back route.

I felt the whole thing was strange and felt like a setup. Was she part of it? What do u think? She was light skinned and unlikely to be a scammer since usually only dark skinned filipinos here scam in my experience. (not to be racist) she seemed simple and kind too. But I couldn't tell what her motives were for hanging out w me. She did not express any. And it was suspicious that she kept wanting to walk all the time in areas away from people. It was like she wanted us to be in some remote area. Plus I've walked alone on that highway at night many times before and never seen anything happen. So it should have been safe in my experience. Yet around her two incidents happen in just one minute? Very odd.

However, if it was a setup why would she agree to tear the shoulder strap off a nice looking purse and damaging it like that just to scam 500p off me? That seems like a lot of trouble just to try to get 12 dollars from me, which may not even work. I don't see how me giving her that would help anyway since she still lost her purse and cell phone. Plus its her fault for not listening to me when I told her we should walk on the other side of the highway which was safer and more comfortable.

So if she's not in on it then she must have been really stupid and reckless to insist on walking when there was a jeepney waiting for us at the coffee shop. Plus there was no need to have left fields ave in the first place. So she's either part of a really stupid plot or really stupid and unlucky. What do u think? Either way I'm really angry that she almost caused me to lose all my valuables including my smart phone and passport in such an unnecessary manner.

Here are her photos on Facebook if u want to gauge her vibes. She looks very normal but some of the people on her friends list w the same last name as her look really seedy like they could be gangsters or into petty crime. Maybe one of them was the thief on the motorbike?

http://www.facebook.com/marry.valderrama1

Her other Facebook profile:
http://www.facebook.com/mlvalderrama

Perhaps I should try to call her stolen phone from a blocked number to see if she answers it. If she does then we know it was a setup.

It sounds very very likely that the girl was in on it. Scammers come in all shades. Don't let her color fool u. She set u up. I've never had a girl here refuse to take a jeepney before. They're generally not keen on long walks unless its in a peaceful place (not along a road or hiway).

Why were the attempts so stupid and bungled. You've said it yourself, Average IQ here is quite low. Add to that Filipinos tend to be passive and even timid. They much prefer scamming, pick-pocketing or even snatching to outright hold-upping or mugging in majority of cases.

Angeles and immediate area is like Pattaya - a cesspool that attracts a lot of riff-raff and criminal types with criminal values and their accomplices from all over the host country. However, I do like much of the rest of Pampanga including the people from wht. I've seen so far. I thought Dianne was living further from ground zero area now.

Anyway, glad to hear u lost nothing! Next time, be more careful. If it seems to good to be true...

[ryanx]

These sentences are really confusing:

"Last night I met this cute girl on a jeepney who seemed like a decent person. She ignored me at first but then began following me."

How could you have 'met' her if she was ignoring you? Do you mean you saw her and tried to chat to her but she ignored you?

Also how did she exactly start following you? Do you mean in the same way a dog or hungry cat might follow you?

[Winston]

These sentences are really confusing:

"Last night I met this cute girl on a jeepney who seemed like a decent person. She ignored me at first but then began following me."

How could you have 'met' her if she was ignoring you? Do you mean you saw her and tried to chat to her but she ignored you?

Also how did she exactly start following you? Do you mean in the same way a dog or hungry cat might follow you?

Man where is your common sense? Yes she ignored me at first but acknowledged me. So I walked on but later she appeared again and again like she was trying to make it look like she happened to be going the same way. Then she asked where I was going. And we got the ball rolling from there. She seemed way too innocent and normal and petite to be bad in any way. Never suspected her. I just found it odd that she kept wanting to take a walk away from the crowd.

In a way I'm glad if it was a set up because I felt sorry for her. She looked so devastated after her purse was snatched from her

I can see that rock will be referring to this incident from now everytime I cite my people reading skills.lol

Mr s and ginger also told me by email that it was a set up.

[xiongmao]

Yeah, probably a set-up. I really don't like talking to random people in the street. Be careful out there.

In the Chinese hotel I stayed in last week there was a thing on the table showing all the common scams you might encounter here.

It might be easy to meet women in the Phillies, but the downside is personal safety. I looked on the UK government's travel advice, and the number of Brits who get into trouble there is staggering.

Crime is also an issue here in Guangzhou, but the good thing is that there are vast numbers of police (and also soldiers) at the main trouble spots.

[Winston]

Here are some photos of her from her two Facebook profiles linked above. As you can see, she looks totally cute, not like someone who would lead you into an ambush at all. She's probably not the mastermind behind it, just a participant.

Should I put up a scam page about her? Are you all 100 percent sure that she was in on it? Should I tell her relatives on Facebook about what she and her partners in crime are up to? Would they care?

Wasn't she stupid to give me her Facebook profile? Now I can easily expose her with her photo and name. Is there any chance she could be innocent?

On second thought, if you look at her eyes, they look hollow and zombie-like, as though she were easily programmable, and open to any kind of suggestion by evil doers.












Her and her partner I think.





What do you all think? What vibes do you get from these photos? I'll show you all the one of me and her later.

[magnum]

I suggest you invest in a knife or brass knuckles if you don't want to "know" you killed someone after striking.


You attempt to take my life, I'll make you bleed, if it continues after that, You better take my life, because yours is getting a coach class ticket to jesus christ otherwise.

[OutWest]

What do you all think? What vibes do you get from these photos? I'll show you all the one of me and her later.

What is the vibe? LOL Reptilian pond scum....

Outwest

[Winston]

What do you all think? What vibes do you get from these photos? I'll show you all the one of me and her later.

What is the vibe? LOL Reptilian pond scum....

Outwest

But if you didn't know anything about her, and you saw her, you'd think she was sweet and innocent too right? Now that you know about what happened, you are prone to be biased when looking at her photos right?

Btw, there are some shady looking characters on her friends list on Facebook. Check this out. Do these look like guys you would trust? lol Don't they look like the kind of people prone to petty crime? lol It's possible that one of these could have been on the motorbike that snatched her purse as part of the setup. In fact, I think I might have seen one of these characters standing outside on the street that we passed by just before the incident happened, or at least during the interim between the dirty beggar kids and the motorcycle snatching.

[Winston]

Here is what my expat friend said about the incident:

"Wow.

Was she texting or calling regularly while she was with you? If so, she might have been coordinating with the pickpockets/snatchers.

My guess is that the motorcyclist was her partner in crime. Handbags are cheap, and a broken strap can easily be fixed, and the content we probably returned to her... you should have pretended to go your way and then follow her to see where she went and if she met up with some guys afterwards.

When something seems suspicious, it usually is. Everything that you write about her sounds suspicious. Watch yourself there... people can and do get bullets to the head in AC.

She looks innocent enough, but who knows what length desperate people go to.

Why weren't you out with Dianne? She's more attractive than that lady!"

Here's Ginger's take on it:

"Winston,

It's a set up, I have heard of a similar thing from AC and Cebu. Google it.

The 500 borrowing thingy is another ploy since they can't get more than receipts from you the first time. On the story that I heard of, the foreigner offered to get back to hotel so he can get his atm to give the girl some money sp she can go home. Guess what, on the atm, the guy got mugged again (with the same girl) and upon going back to his hotel room, he discovered his watch and bracelet to be gone as well.

I could be wrong of course.

But hey, if someone brings so much bad energy just by being with them, would you be willing to risk more?

Ginger"

[Rock]

I can see that rock will be referring to this incident from now everytime I cite my people reading skills.lol

Mr s and ginger also told me by email that it was a set up.

I'll give u a pass this time, lol. Guys tend to lose their common sense temporarily when around girls who strongly attract them.

[Rock]

Yes, it was very stupid of her to give u her Facebook. But wht. do u expect in a country where the average IQ is around 85? She's probably being controlled by her boyfriend or family member and doesn't even think, just does as she says.

Winston, do not start a campaign attacking her. If one of her Facebook friends discovers it and it gets back to her people, u will have to watch your back around there. Angeles is a small place and yr. high profile, both online and as an expat in Angeles. She's guilty of participating in an attempted robbery/scam just like thousands of other local girls are. But an online campaign will do nothing other than possibly create new enemies for yourself. Just let sleeping dogs lie.

[Mr S]

Yeah, I suggest you just keep it to yourself and learn from it. If you start trying to expose her and whoever figures out it's you they will come looking for you and enact some revenge. Filipinos are emotional basket cases who can't control themselves once provoked over a certain point, especially the lower class. If you were in another city and decided to expose her and didn't plan on going back to AC anytime soon then maybe you could get away with it.

And stop making judgements of girls on physical traits alone. Just cause in your opinion they look innocent, doesn't mean they are. You gotta study body language more and use that as your guide, not how they dress or the BS they espouse to you while talking to you.

At least don't do it while you're still running around AC.

Next time ID all strange girls you meet off the streets/malls/stores if you plan on wanting to date them. If they don't produce any or refuse then move on to the next girl. Too many scammers in the city nowadays looking for easy prey. At least if you BF a chick in one of the bars you know who they are and they can't get away with too much stuff unlike pick up girls can if you don't ID them or something.

I wouldn't make a big deal of ID in other cities but AC is known for setups and I think it's getting worse not better as more tourists visit the city then in the past.

I don't know what attracted you to her to begin with, she has bad skin and a lot of facial acne. There are far better examples to choose from in AC then that beast.

[zacb]

Yes, it was very stupid of her to give u her Facebook. But wht. do u expect in a country where the average IQ is around 85? She's probably being controlled by her boyfriend or family member and doesn't even think, just does as she says.

Winston, do not start a campaign attacking her. If one of her Facebook friends discovers it and it gets back to her people, u will have to watch your back around there. Angeles is a small place and yr. high profile, both online and as an expat in Angles. She's guilty of participating in an attempted robbery/scam just like thousands of other local girls are. But an online campaign will do nothing other than possibly create new enemies for yourself. Just let sleeping dogs lie.

I second that. And in regard to the first incident, the State Department commented on this exact scenario:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manil ... 0Gangs.pdf

Now go and sin no more .

[WorldTraveler]

Here are some photos of her from her two Facebook profiles linked above. As you can see, she looks totally cute, not like someone who would lead you into an ambush at all. She's probably not the mastermind behind it, just a participant.

Should I put up a scam page about her? Are you all 100 percent sure that she was in on it? Should I tell her relatives on Facebook about what she and her partners in crime are up to? Would they care?




What do you all think? What vibes do you get from these photos? I'll show you all the one of me and her later.

Winston, she has an iPhone 4 here in the picture. It costs $700. Where does a good girl get the money for an iPhone4? She probably works on Fields and didn't want you to see any of her friends.

Rock, is correct. Pinays never want to walk anywhere, not even 50 feet!

I would not put up a page against this girl unless you want to get killed. Her riff-raff relatives will just kill you for the hell of it. Maybe just rough you up first to get some money. I wouldn't be doing anything to cause her to lose face with friends and family. Where can a foreign guy hide in Angeles City? Impossible.