WATCH: Police explains Manila fake iPhone scam

The next time you go along Quiapo and North avenue, you know what to be aware of  by watching this video.

In the Facebook video uploaded by Plaza Miranda Police Station, a police officer demonstrates on how the modus works.

According to him, “While you are walking in the street, there’s a stranger that will approach you and will tell you that he/she is selling an iphone for only 3,000-5,000 pesos. He/she will let you browse the phone for you to see if its working right. Overwhelmed of the cheap price, you will now get the money to pay for it. You and him/her then exchange the iphone and the money.

That’s the time when he/she will tell you that the iphone is a stolen one and he/she will ask you to keep it on your pocket immediately so that no one can know the transaction. It will be later revealed that the iphone that you put in the pocket is fake and not the iphone that the strange seller let you browsed. You will then realized that you are a victim of the modus.”

Click play to watch the video:

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

This modus operandi has been notorious throughout the years and the common victims are bystanders who are overwhelmed by the offer because of the cheap selling price. An original iphone costs 20,000-50,000 pesos.

Netizens meanwhile express their experiences about the crime.

“Bullshit yang mga taong yan ….nangyari sakin yan iphone 6 for 8000 ..tpos bumaba ng 4000 …umiilaw kaso ayaw gumana lhat ng apps ..PUTANG INA NILA(pasensya na sa nkakabasa) pero bwisit sila sarap nilang isiksik at ibaon sa lupa ng buhay.” – Jean Borres

“Nangyari sa akin to noong december 2013 sa Baclaran . nag deal na kami na kukunin ko ang iphone , sa bulsa nya may gumagana na tunay na phone at hindi gumana clone pa. Doon ko na nalalaman noong tumabi na ako sa kilid at e check, yun pala iba yung bunigay sa akin . mabilis nawala yung taong nag alok sa akin, malaki po bulsa nya para magkasya yung dalwang cp nung binigay nya sa akin pinasok nya yung cp sa bulsa nya kasi daw may nakakita pero ayun na pala pinalitan lang at sabay abot sa bayad at nawala na agad kasi may nakatingin daw sa kanya, na testing ko naman ang cp ok naman tunay pero fake yung binigaybsa akin . dapat po talagang aware tau sa ganitong pangyayari, sana maubos na yang mangloloko na yan . mga demonyo salut sa lipunan.” – Paul Cardona Tulang

“Isa Na sa Nabiktima Ung Kaibigan Ko Ksama Nya Mama nya Haha . 3k Din Bili iphone 5s fake grin emoticon gnyang gnyan din Ung Kwento Sken Ng kaibigan ko pinatago daw muna sa Knila ung Cp Bago umalis smile emoticon Ingat Kayo Guys .!!” – Ben Kusain II

“Nabiktima din ako nyan dito sa Davao… from 2k to 800 pesos pangkain lng dw nila. pag hawak ko totoong Samsung, pagbyad ko sa knya pinapasok nya agad ang naka pouch na phone kc nakaw dw un nila bka may makakita dw. so pinasok ko nmn ung phone. pagsakay ko ng jeep binuksan ko sabay excited, nakatali ng mahigpit ung pouch. cguro pag open ko naabutan ng halos 20mins, pagtingin ko plastic xa na prang sabon na binalot ng cellophane na clear… as in na shock talaga ako sa nangyari. bumaba ako sa jeep at pasakay pabalik sa Agdao bka maabutan ko pa ung tao… sad to say wala na. tanggapin nlng. Lesson to learned not to buy sa mga nakaw na phone. sana ung taong un napahuli na ni Duterte…” – Jackie Ramos Sarcol-Guntenas

“Naku po nabiktima na ung hubby ko nyan dto sa angeles pampanga. Kunwari bibigyan k ng discount tapos ang galing p nla mag sales talk. Iphone5 gold p ung bnbnta tas eto nmn wlang alam binili ayun og uwi nya sa bahay di nmn gumagana. Tas mga foreigners p ung binibiktima nla.” Princess Queenie Anderson

I hope that we all learned from the victims’ experiences. As the police officer concluded in the video “Be safe and be alert at all times.”

Your thoughts?