By LITO RULONA
Correspondent
SOME 30 people yesterday pressed estafa charges against a firm that promised to return and increase investments by 40 percent in less than a week.
The complaint was filed before the City Prosecutor’s Office on behalf of the alleged victims by lawyer and Councilor Leon Gan.
Charged with estafa was James Decena Samson, representative of JDS Prime Trading on Yacapin-Rizal Streets, this city, and six office personnel, and marketing agents whose names were unclear at presstime. The primary suspect is reportedly from Mindanao Ave. in Quezon City.
Gan said the company closed down its Cagayan de Oro office after collecting not less than P4 million in investments by employing what is believed to be a Ponzi scheme.
He said his clients were informed that the firm moved to Bukidnon.
“Gisulayan sa pag-contact sa mga victims pero dili na gatubag sa iyang cellphone kining manager. We are also trying to identify other persons involved in the scam,” Gan said.
Gan said JDS Prime Trading packaged itself as a multi-level marketing network that, at first, made good with its promise to return investments plus interests of 40 percent in six days.
He said the firm asked investors to shell out an initial capital of P1 thousand each. In six days, investors received P1,400.
Those who put up a capital of P2 thousand each received products like coffee, and cosmetic items, among others.
“Mura sab ni siya og networking,” Gan said. “Sa first pay-out, tanan nakadawat sa P1,400 mao nga na-inganyo sila pagbalik sa ilang capital, and then some put up bigger amounts.”
Gan said some of the alleged victims invested as much P100 thousand to P200 thousand each, and many of them are city hall and Hall of Justice employees.
Subsequently, he said, the investors started worrying because of delays in the release of money.
And then JDS Prime Trading suddenly closed down its office here in Feb. 25, and investors were told that the firm’s main office in Metro Manila was robbed.
Gan said Samson told his clients that the money they invested, amounting to over P4 million, were taken by robbers.
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