CEBU CITY – The National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas (NBI-7) has arrested a woman from Naga City, southern Cebu allegedly involved in an investment scam.
Eva Ferraris made her victims believe that she was a rice trader and enticed them to invest in her business, said NBI-7 Director Patricio Bernales Jr.
Bernales narrated that two complainants went to the NBI-7 office and accused Ferraris of duping them of close to P1 million supposedly intended for her rice business.
The complainants said Ferraris told them that she was into rice trading and supplied packed meals in a school run by nuns in Naga City.
The complainants agreed to invest in the suspect’s business but they never received the promised proceeds of their investment, Bernales said.
After receiving the complaint, the NBI-7 conducted records check and discovered that there have been previous complaints against Ferraris for the same offense.
Bernales said records showed that several Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) lost more than P1 million because of the suspect’s alleged investment scam.
The NBI-7 also discovered that the Ferraris had a standing warrant of arrest which was used to apprehend her on Friday night, September 8.
“We are evaluating if we can file a syndicated estafa against the suspect because there are several complainants already,” said Bernales.
Bernales warned the public to be cautious when dealing with people offering business opportunities. “Some of us want easy money but when it’s too good to be true, you have to be vigilant,” said Bernales.