An elderly couple in Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City, lost their P6,000 pension after falling victim to a thief who posed as a distributor of rice aid from a congressman.

In a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage captured on July 30, the unidentified woman approached the couple outside a printing shop. She offered five kilos of rice each as part of a supposed government assistance program.

To avail of the aid, the woman asked the victims to write down their names and addresses on a small piece of paper.

While the senior citizens were distracted, the suspect discreetly stole the elderly woman’s wallet from her bag.

The woman then asked for photocopies of their identification cards, but left the scene before they could notice the theft.

“Bigla lang silang lumapit at nagsabi na hindi na kayo magbili ng bigas kasi may nagpamigay na kongresista ng bigas... Tapos pagkuha ko dito sa bag ko ng wallet ko dahil ipa-xerox kuno ang ID pero di ko namalayan, dinukot na pala (They suddenly came over and said that you shouldn't buy rice anymore because a congressman was giving away rice... Then I took my wallet out of my bag because they were supposed to xerox my ID but I didn't realize it, it had already been stolen),” the elderly woman said.

The couple said they waited six months to receive the pension, which they planned to use for food, medicine, and the medical needs of their child who is undergoing dialysis.

Barangay officials confirmed that a similar incident targeting another senior citizen occurred in the area on the same day.

“Huwag po tayong maniwala basta-basta sa taong lumalapit sa atin, mapa-babae o mapa-lalaki, na sila po ay diumano nagmamalasakit (Let's not just believe the person who approaches us, whether male or female, that they supposedly care),” Barangay Kagawad Elmer Buena said.

Barangay Commonwealth is now coordinating with authorities to identify and locate the suspect.