Seven persons have been arrested in Dagupan City for reportedly duping a buyer who paid P2.8 million for a piece of land with "fake title."

In a statement issued on Friday, Sept. 29, the NBI identified the suspected scammers as Corazon Langit Idio-Villedo -- who posed as Lourdes V. Tan, the owner of the land -- Rogelio de Guzman Martinez, Cornelia Velazquez Mejia, Danilo Andaya, Bernard Tandoc, Sonny Fernandez and Arturo Castro.

The suspects have been charged with estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) in relation to Article 172, falsification and use of falsified document. 

The NBI said the suspects were arrested during an entrapment operation conducted by the NBI’s Dagupan District Office (NBI-DADO) last Sept. 15 and 18.

“The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the victim alleging that the above-named Subjects offered to sell a parcel of land located in Nalsian, Calasiao, Pangasinan covered by a certain title with a total land area of 378 square meters registered under the name of Lourdes V. Tan,” said the NBI.

After agreeing to purchase the property for P3 million, the NBI noted that the complainant, through her representative, “made payments on three occasions in the total amount of P2,800,000.”

It said that when the complainant arrived in the Philippines last August, it was discovered that the real Lourtes V, Tan is living in the United States and that "the land title she got from the suspects was fake."

The entrapment operation was hatched resulting in the arrest of the suspects, it also said.

First to be arrested during entrapment were Martinez, Mejia, Andaya, Tandoc, Fernandez, and Castro, all of whom were caught receiving the entrapment money for the payment of the remaining P200,000, the NBI said.

Later, it said, Villedo was also arrested during a separate operation.