TACLOBAN CITY – A 31-year-old woman was arrested for large-scale estafa in an entrapment operation in a restaurant in Palo, Leyte on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Authorities identified the suspect as Maria Francesca Macasojot, self-employed, single, and a resident of Canlapwas Poblacion, Catbalogan City, Samar.
The operation was conducted after seven individuals from Leyte filed complaints against her for defrauding them of a total of P5 million in investments.
Authorities arrested Macasojot after she accepted P50,000 as additional loan or capital for her proposed business as an office and school supplier for Department of Education in Samar in a meeting with some of the complainants.
Macasojot presented herself as the proprietor of CAI Printing Supplies in Catbalogan. She claimed that she secured a contract with DepEd-Samar worth P6 million.
A complainant said that the suspect had been asking people to lend her money since 2021 for a 20 percent monthly interest. She presented some documents as proof of her contract.
However, it was learned that the suspect is not listed as a DepEd-Samar supplier for learning resources and other supplies.
The suspect allegedly issued several bouncing checks to pay her obligations.