There was this random person who texted me " hi (my nickname), i miss you . Please call me." What I did was, I texted this person back and asked him who he/she was, but then there was no response. So I went to http://www.emobiletracker.com/free-trace-philippines.html , some of those websites had stupid contents which were not that helpful. However, I found this one legit website and that was when I was able to know the name of the random texter.I was creeped out because I didn't even know this person but how come he knows me. After that incident, I have kept my number more private.

if possible keep your phone numbers private and don't text back to random people because you don't know the danger you are putting yourself into.

Growing up in Recto (Manila) means being exposed to a lot of underground jobs. I have a best friend, I knew him since I was 10. Things became different after high school I proceeded to a state university but he was forced to work at an early age. We still see each other and this is how I know that even if your job is a forger, I know that you are still a decent person.

A forger is someone who creates legal documents and forges the signature of the authorizing personnel. The forger normally has templates to use and has already made arrangements in terms of the printout, paper, and seals in order to ensure that the document will appear original. I knew that this is illegal but I turned a blind eye and never let this interfere with my friendship with Baste. Baste moves from one store/shop to another. He wasn't the one getting the jobs, he was only the one getting it done.

So when I graduated, I visited him on one of the shops he was working for and I shared my success. I brought my diploma with me and he looked at me knowingly. He said that it wasn't authentic. That was a low blow for me and was quite insulting but he said that he'll check just to make sure. He brought my diploma in and was out in less than a minute. He then said that he takes it back and confirmed that the diploma was authentic.

I found out through the grapevine a few weeks later that the less than one minute that he was away was all it took for him to use the information for forgery templates. It was necessary that templates are updated because of the new signatories and the seals and him being given an original, allowed him a fresh copy.

They say men are supposed to be strong and willful and should not be emotional but knowing that we were friends and he chose to trick me was a final straw. i was hurt emotionally and I lost faith in him and in our friendship.

Be objective and see people as they are now. Be conscious and cautious because people change. Do not tempt or test people if you are not prepared to be hurt emotionally, to feel cheated or to be disappointed.

I'm 18 years old and I'm excited with a lot of things happening in my life. I still live with my parents, it's common here in the Philippines and I'm currently studying in college. In a digital age, having access to the internet and being familiar with news and potential modus, I never imagined I will be one of those people who'd be writing their experience on websites like this. I was quite hesitant at first, you'll see why later on, but I think it simply has to be out there. If I had known this beforehand, I am sure I would have been able to prevent it from happening and here I am.

Classes are about to close and I was quite busy finalizing last few items at school. Nobody's home but me and the helper. The landline rang and I answered and a frantic voice said, "Who's this?" "Amy," I replied. "May I know who's this?" The person did not answer, however, and said, "Listen, Amy... who's there with you right now?" she asked. "Our helper, Mary," I said. "Who is this, please? I repeated. "Look, Amy, this is very important. How old is Mary, again?" she said in a rushing tone. I replied, "57 years old." "Okay, Amy, I need you to get a place to talk where she cannot hear you. Is there anywhere you can talk without her overhearing? Do you have a cellphone?" she said. "Yes, I do. What is this about?" I inquired, getting worried. "Amy," she said, "You do not want Mary involved in this, I'm sure you don't want her to be part of this. This is about your parents. Can you call me directly when she's not around?"

I said I will call her, and she gave me a cell phone number. After putting down the receiver (landline), I immediately went to lock myself in the bedroom and called her on my cell. I don't even know her name but my heart was beating so fast. She said it was about my parents. I heard Mary knocking on the door, asking me what's wrong but she was not supposed to be involved so I rudely shouted between the doors, "You don't get a say on what's happening with me! Leave me alone!" All these happened while I was waiting for the woman to pick up on the cell number and when I was sure and I thought that by this time, Mary has already left, the conversation started again. "Amy," the woman said in a reserved serious tone of voice. "My name is Irene and I am talking to you because my husband is against this proposition and will not tolerate what I'm going to ask you but I want to help. Your parents collided with our car and we met minor injuries. I was hurt and my husband was outraged and is pressing charges. All of us are now inside the precinct and the officers are taking our statement. Your parents are now being detained inside a cell and will be held there unless you cover damages that we have incurred. Your parents said that you have money and they have valuable items at home that you can use, is this true?" I was so scared and was fighting off tears but knowing that my parents were in jeopardy, I held my ground. I said, "Yes." "Your mother said, that you have a sibling, is this true?" the woman asked, and I said, "Yes." "I am telling you, she continued, I am not kidding. My husband is pressing charges and you do not want Mary nor your sibling to be involved, in all this. Do you want to talk to your mom?" she asked. I said, "Yes."

A muffled voice came on the line, I couldn't understand much of anything that was being said but I heard a whimper and I heard a little voice that said "Amy..." then some sounds. My mom was crying and my heart started to break, but I had to be strong. "Mom, don't cry. Don't worry, we'll get through this... I'm coming." Then she was gone and the woman was there again. "Amy, this is time-sensitive. I do not know how long I can keep my husband from proceeding with the case. I don't want any other people in your family to be involved. I want to help you. I need you to follow my instructions, can you do that?" I said, "yes." "Amy, first you need to be fast and quick in getting what your parents said as valuable to cover the damages. Get as much as you could, otherwise, your parents will go to jail. Understand?" I gave a verbal nod. "Second, you need to limit your contact with others, you do not want them to be involved. My husband can only be reasoned accordingly. Nobody should know. Do you understand." I gave another verbal nod. "Last, but not least, you will need to buy a different sim and call me from another number. Call me again when you're ready. I will need to give you directions on how we can meet so that my husband does not realize that I'm already accepting the payment for the damages and that I"m okay."

I followed what she said to the suit and immediately left with Mary calling out where I was going. I told her "to meet a friend at a nearby street." I removed my sim card and inserted the new one and called Irene. "Amy, I need you to hail a cab right now. Don't worry, you're doing this for your parents. I will help you." While inside the cab, Irene asked for me to pass the phone to the driver so she can give instructions and I complied. The driver had my phone talking to Irene the entire time, but probably seeing that I was so agitated, helped me be comfortable by telling me what Irene was saying regarding the place where we were going and the streets we were in.

The driver brought me to the 7-Eleven near the Manila Pier. This is where I delivered a small bag with my parents' jewelry and some cash I was able to earn over the school year. I asked Irene how my parents were doing and she said they're okay and were waiting for my action. She said that she was able to talk reason to her husband and he has put a halt on the case. She will just need to go back and bring what I promised and all will be fine. She asked me if I still have money left on me and I said everything was in the bag and she said, that will not do. You need to have a few to take the cab. She fished through the bag and gave me Php200. She said she needed to go back now, she doesn't want her husband to think that something has gone wrong and with that I said, thank you and we parted ways. I was relieved and I hailed a cab to go back home. Now, secured and no longer rushed, I removed the new sim card and inserted my old one and I saw multiple offline messages sent to me, asking me where I was and what happened with me. Mary, apparently, felt that something has terribly gone wrong and has been looking for me in the 5 hours I was gone. My phone being unreachable did not help her feel secure so she has contacted all my relatives to find anything that may be helpful. This was only the time that I started to doubt myself. I called my brother and told him I was on my way home, he was more frantic than Irene over the phone but hearing that I was en route, he said we'll just talk at home. I went back to everything that has happened while on the way. In my simple understanding of things - I really felt that I did the right thing. I did not provide a lot of information, I asked for proof of life, I was compliant. My parents should be fine.

When I arrived home, my dad, my brother, and Mary were waiting for me at the living room, as if a panel, who was going to interrogate me. The looks in their eyes were full of worry, concern, and judgment. Seeing my dad there was a big relief for me but my doubts started to tower. They asked me what happened and I started to tell them the story and little by little, I began to feel how I was cheated into doing what I did. It was only then I realized that my mom and dad couldn't possibly be together during that time of the accident because my mom was in the province and my dad was at work. It was also then that I started to cry.

What happened to me was so clear, Irene's face, what was said but I really couldn't do anything about the situation. For a while now, I did not want to share what happened. I felt really stupid for having fallen for it. But there's no changing the past. My mom has lost about Php180,000 worth of jewelry, my dad about Php 60,000 from his watch and ring and I lost about Php 8,000 cash.

I believed the fictitious story on the accident and paid for inexistent damages and accepted fraudulent representation. I also think I became ignorant of the modus and was not thinking straight.

I'm thankful that I wasn't killed in the process. I trusted a complete stranger, met with her at an unknown place - even if 7eleven was a public place, anything could have happened. I however, still feel cheated.

Always have the presence of mind. Do not trust a stranger. When in doubt, contact local authorities or talk to your family. Injury and serious accident are not kept secret and never forget that if it was the case, your parents will be reaching out to you or to your family. At 18, you should be prepared for the world but trust that your parents - who are way older knows more than you do. If a similar case happened and they claim to have ahold of a younger brother or sister - contact the immediate caretaker or your relatives. Do not rely on a single source of information.

I went to this website and so, while I was going through the content, something popped up. It was a mini roulette and I was intrigued because it said that when you spin the roulette, you will win a prize. I know what i did was stupid because I spun the roulette, after I spun the roulette, I entered my email address because it was said that you have to enter your email address after you have spun the roulette. After that, I realized it was a scam because the source didn't respond and the website was not secure.That made me strengthen the privacy of my email address.

Do not jump into conclusion easily and don't just enter any contest or spin any roulette that you see from a less secured website because this might lead you to danger and you might get scammed. If you see something suspicious in the internet then report it before its too late for you to do it.