"Need money for parents' approval" Pasay romance scam — 20-something arrested for extorting 130,000 pesos from foreigner

📌 On the morning of September 26 at a restaurant on Seaside Blvd. in Pasay City, a 23-year-old woman and her male accomplice were arrested in a police entrapment operation after extorting 130,000 pesos from a foreign man under the pretext that she "needed to get her parents' approval."
The victim is a 30-year-old Chinese man who works at a currency exchange, and the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) issued a romance and financial scam advisory the following day.

■ Case Details
· The woman demanded money, claiming, "My parents are strict, so I need money for them to approve our relationship." The victim handed over 80,000 pesos on Wednesday, September 23, and 50,000 pesos on Friday, September 25.
· She then demanded that he bring 20,000 pesos in cash to show them, claiming he needed to "prove his financial capability to my parents."
· When she asked for another 10,000 pesos on the morning of Saturday, September 26, the victim realized it was a scam and reported it to the Pasay Police Sub-Station.

■ Arrest & Current Status
· Around 10:20 AM, the 23-year-old woman was arrested the moment she was handed the marked 10,000 pesos, and one cell phone was seized.
· The 29-year-old man who was with her signaled her to run away and was arrested alongside her for obstruction of justice. Both claimed to be business owners.
· The woman has been referred to the Pasay Prosecutor's Office on charges of Estafa, and the man on charges of obstruction of justice (PD 1829).

■ NCRPO Advisory (9/27)
· Scammers build trust by constantly changing their stories and approaches before taking money, and the public is urged not to easily send money based on emotional appeals or insufficiently verified relationships.
· Do not share personal information, passwords, or bank details with people met online or acquaintances who suddenly ask for money transfers.

■ Notes for Expats & Travelers
· Repeated demands for money citing relationships—such as "parents' approval," "family circumstances," or "proving financial capability"—are classic signs of a romance scam.
· Even if you have already sent money, if additional demands are made, notify the police first just like this victim did. Perpetrators can be caught through entrapment operations.
· Do not comply with demands to bring cash out to "show" it. This increases the risk of robbery and pickpocketing.

■ Sources
Daily Tribune (9/26, 9/27), Journal News (9/26), Peoples Taliba (9/26), Hataw (9/28)

■ Photos
The arrested male and female suspects (faces blurred) and the marked bills used in the entrapment operation (Journal News)