BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Education- Negros Island Region (DepEd-NIR) urged learners and teachers to stay vigilant after four junior high school students were scammed by a man posing as a DepEd employee in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

DepEd–NIR Public Information Officer Almyr Caezar Dequiña said the incident occurred on Aug. 25, a holiday, while the Grade 9 students – three girls and one boy – were at the public plaza.

“A man speaking in Tagalog and identified himself as John dela Peña wearing what appeared to be a DepEd uniform approached the students. He claimed to have health issues and asked for directions, later shifting the conversation to online games, particularly Mobile Legends,” Dequiña said.

Gaining their trust, the suspect invited the students for snacks and talked about forming a gaming squad. He promised to give each of them P2,500 and a new cell phone in exchange for borrowing their phones or Mobile Legends accounts.

The students handed over their devices, initially four phones, and two more when one student returned with additional phones from home, for a total of six, according to Dequiña.

The suspect brought them to a computer shop, where he attempted to get another student’s phone, but the student fled out of fear.

He asked one of the four students to accompany him to a convenience store for a fund transfer but they ended up in San Miguel area. The details of their activity in San Miguel remain unclear, Dequiña said.

The suspect put the student on a tricycle back to the group. They waited for hours but he never returned. The contact details and codes he gave were fake, prompting the students to report the scam to the police.

Dequiña said that school authorities have coordinated with the police and an investigation is underway. A closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage has been obtained by the police to identify the suspect, he added.

Dequiña emphasized that while this may be an isolated case, DepEd takes the matter seriously and prioritizes the safety of students and personnel.

Psychological first aid and debriefing were provided to the affected students. Of the four, the male student did not report to school on Tuesday, Aug. 26, but efforts to reach and support all victims are ongoing.

In an advisory posted on social media, the regional office said that only legitimate DepEd personnel carry official DepEd identification cards. It also reminded the public to always verify their identity before engaging with them.

“Learners and teachers must never entrust personal belongings to individuals claiming to be from DepEd without proper validation, and any suspicious person or similar incident must be reported immediately to school and local authorities.”

“Let us remain alert and cooperative in preventing similar fraudulent acts,” DepEd-NIR said.