A farewell

Hi, Reader.

I hope that I – this blog, was able to help you in whatever need you have.

I’m sure you stumbled upon this blog because of something – most likely, you were scammed. We were able to get out of the mess we were involved in and I hope you were able to resolve whatever mess you were in.

It’s been years since I last posted here. I have grown up and this blog has been a big part of who I was.

I guess, it’s time to move on.

Thanks.

Metro Care Marketing Services Scam Victim shares VIP Card Package contents

Here it is guys. Dito ninyo lang makikita ang laman ng notorious package ng Metro Care Marketing Services.

A frequent poster, who goes by the alias of Nascamdin, shared her photos of the contents of the Metro Care Marketing Services VIP Card that she received sometime April 2010. Nascamdin was a real victim. She had to pay the whole P5,850 and she received the package. She also had to go the extra mile and file all kinds of complaints to the authorities, her credit card provider and to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Nascamdin allowed me to publish these photos after she got them so that other victims will know what to get from the package and for us to see if the P5,850 that Metro Care Marketing Services peddles is really worth its price.

And because Nascamdin fought and she fought hard, she was very fortunate to be rewarded a reversal by the DTI and her credit card provider. She was refunded her money and she returned the whole package.

Here are the photos.

I will also include the participating establishments that offer discounts. At magugulat kayo dahil sa pangako nilang up to 50% discount, dahil ilan lang na establishments ang nag-offer nun! Hindi pa ganun kasikat ang mga places na ito.

Our fight against Metro Care Marketing Services comes to an end. And we have prevailed.

We have won! Metro Care Marketing Services no longer has a hold on us.

Here is what my girlfriend has to say.

METRO CARE PART 5 (Epilogue of the saga… hahaha!)

Last Friday, June 11, 2010, I received my billing statement for my Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) credit card. I was relieved to see there was no transaction posted by Metro Care Marketing Services in the amount of P5,850.

The only posted transaction is the replacement fee when I had my credit card blocked last May 12. As of today, I have fully paid the outstanding balance of my SCB credit card. And now, I intend to cancel the SCB credit card altogether, because I have lost trust in the credit security of SCB.

I have applied for my SCB credit card thru the phone. A telemarketer from SCB called me on September 2009 and offered a credit card. Since I had nothing to lose, I accepted the offer. I gave my personal details and in a matter of weeks, I got the SCB credit card. By October 2009, I activated the SCB credit card.

How funny it is that by May 12, 2010, I got scammed also thru the phone. Someone from Metro Care Marketing Services called me and said SCB recommended me for their privilege card. How in the world did Metro Care know of my SCB credit card? Unless someone in SCB with access to my personal information gave out my credit details, because I can not think of anything else.

I have four credit cards from major banks, including SCB. Of the four, the SCB credit card is the newest. And it is the only credit card that I applied for over the phone. For the other three, I applied directly to the bank. I got my first credit card last 2007 and I have no problems since.

Therefore, I can safely say that during the processing of my SCB credit card application, my credit card details leaked out. And I have heard of agents selling credit card information to interested establishments. This is a breach of the confidentiality policy of bank details, especially credit card details. I have called SCB and the SCB call center agent said that SCB does not disclose credit card information to non-affiliated establishments. So how did Metro Care get my SCB credit details if it claims that it is not affiliated with SCB?

This scam incident is a big eye-opener for me. I have learned to say ‘NO’ to aggressive telemarketers, and other sales persons I encounter who aggressively offer me products I don’t really need. If I am interested in any product, I will personally buy it without any sales agent coaxing me.

And I have also learned to directly apply to the bank for any product it offers, and not thru an agent. I do not trust those sales agents anymore. So to be safe, I will directly transact with the bank representatives only.

I am grateful to God that I got thru this ordeal. It has taught me so much about the real world out there: that this world is a safe place with patches of danger and I just have to be aware of those patches and avoid them.

And to my boyfriend who supported me throughout the ordeal, and taught me to stand up against those scammers. If it weren’t for him, I would just be another victim of Metro Care Marketing Services, who would just pay the amount of P5,850 without a fight, just to get it over with. But because of his support, I stood my ground and Metro Care did not get a single cent from me.

So to all of the victims of Metro Care Marketing Services, if there is still a chance to win against those scammers, “Huwag kayo magpapatalo!”

Despite this achievement, we will keep on helping others with their own fight against this scam. We hope that we have been of help to all of you.

Metro Care Marketing Services claims another victim

For the past week, my girlfriend and I realized that METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES has been a staple in our universe of existence. We have met a number of people who have been victimized by the same company and one those people turns out to be very much close with my girlfriend. She’s a good friend of my girlfriend from college and let’s call her Sofia.

Sofia works for a bank. YES, she works for a bank and this same bank is her credit card provider and truth be told, she was still deceived by a dirty and cunning METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES call center agent.

Sofia furnished for us an account of how METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES was able to fool her.

Last June 2, a guy named MIKE GOMEZ of METRO CARE called me. He started the conversation by confirming a couple of details about me (e.g. name, etc.). He also told me that our conversation is recorded. Then he told me that, because of my good credit standing, my bank recommended me to them to avail of their privilege card. This will give me 60% discount on bars, airlines, and every mall in the Philippines. Normally, if I will call them to avail of the privilege card, I have to pay P16,000. But since they called me, they will only charge me P3,000, which is payable in 24 months.

I already sensed that this is too good to be true, but for some reason, I took the bait and gave them the numbers found at the front and back of my credit card :’c What bothered me is that he knew the first 4 digits of my credit card and the identification number, and then made me finish dictating the numbers. It seemed like he knew the numbers all along and just wants me to confirm the numbers. He then gave me his office landline (since I have to contact him first to get discounts from airlines) and office address. He also told me that the package will be coming from Singapore so the package will arrive after 5-10 working days. Then, his female officer welcomed me and congratulated me for joining them. She talked soooo fast, leaving me no chance to butt in. The phone was then immediately transferred back to Mike Gomez.

As we were about to end the conversation, I told Mike ‘sir wait lang, ayoko na lang po pala i-avail ‘yung discount card nyo.’ Then he said ‘bakit naman? sayang naman ‘yun…’ and he again told me the perks of their card. Sabi ko na lang ‘sige na nga’ just so he won’t waste any more of my time.

Bigla akong kinabahan when I put the phone down. I dialled the landline number he gave me but it was always busy or unavailable!! I got so scared. We looked for them in the directory but they’re not there. I immediately called my bank’s hotline, told a summary of what happened and found out that there is already a floating P3,000 transaction from Metrocare! I asked the agent if they could cancel the transaction but they can’t since the transaction happened between me and Metrocare. Labas na ang banks doon. He suggested that I block my credit card instead, but this will still not guarantee me that I have evaded the charge. I told him I’ll try to call Metrocare first, and then call the hotline again once I’ve decided to block my credit card (which would cost me P400, huhu).

I still couldn’t get hold of Mike Gomez so I ended up calling my bank’s hotline again and blocked my card.

Nakakahiya pero umiyak talaga ako sa officemates ko. I pitied myself for being so helpless and stupid. Word spread out that I was crying and the next thing I know, alam na ng buong wing namin kung ano ang nangyari. Good thing I am working for a bank. I am veeeeeery lucky because one of the officers know someone from the credit cards group. I was then advised that I wait for the package to be delivered. Upon the arrival of the package, I am to NOT ACCEPT IT and NOT SIGN ANYTHING. He also told me that it is still likely that Metrocare will charge me P3,000 since, if I understand it correctly, they billed me via BDO (I don’t know what this means). Anyway, since BDO recognizes them as a legit company, we will also recognize Metrocare legit. If ever I will still be billed, I was advised to FILE A LETTER OF DISPUTE. He also encouraged me to try to contact the firm again and tell them to cancel the transaction.

Meanwhile, my boss went online and saw a lot of blogs about this scam. An officemate also got hold of another contact number of Metrocare through one of the bank’s department. The department also mentioned MONIQUE APACIBLE. From what my officemate understood, Monique is the head Metrocare’s consultants.

We called the number and I was finally able to talk to Mike Gomez again. I told him that I really want to cancel the transaction. Medyo nagtataray na ako. The conversation went something like this:
MIKE:’naku. bakit naman ma’am?’
AKO: hindi ko rin kasi magagamit talaga ‘yung card niyo e. sayang lang.
MIKE: …sige punta ako sa processing department namin, which is nasa……… 8th floor. tignan ko kung mahahabol ko pa.’
Ako: sige

Then the line suddenly went busy.
I called him again. This time, I used the phone number Mike gave me and it worked.

Ako: nagbusy yung line.
Mike: …ah nagbusy ba? ……..naputol ka kasi e… wireless kasi itong gamit ko…
Ako: Ibababa ba dapat yung fone?? ano ba, tatawag na lang ba ulit ako o maghihintay ako sa line?
Mike: tawag na lang po ulit kayo mam.
Ako: sige, gano katagal?
Mike (seemed to be stalling): well, pwede kong hintayin yung elevator… kung masyadong matagal pwede akong mag stairs…
Ako (cutting him): so I’ll call you in 5-10 mins.
Mike: sige mam. …mam gawin nyo nang 20 mins.

I called him after 10mins but the person who answered the phone said Mike was still in the processing department. Later, we got hold of WARREN LEGAZPI from Metrocare’s processing department called me. Medyo inaway-away pa siya ng mga officemate ko, telling him there’s no way they can’t cancel the transaction. Warren insisted on talking to me so they gave me the phone.
WARREN: Ma’am Sofia, I understand your officemate is concerned for you noh. …I know you’ve already talked to MIKE VILLANUEVA
Ako (cutting Warren): Villanueva??? Ang sabi niya sakin Mike Gomez siya.
WARREN: (pauses) … opo Mam. Mike Villanueva-Gomez
–what the. Hindi ba babae lang ang pwedeng magkaroon ng ganyang surname??–
WARREN: bakit niyo po ba gusto ipa-cancel yung transaction?
AKO: I realized I don’t need it. Hindi ko siya magagamit talaga. At nakita ko P3,000 kaagad yung floating charge sa akin. Hindi ba payable dapat yun in 24 months??
WARREN: yes mam. (then explains something na magiging payable in 24 months un..) Hindi na po kasi natin maccancel yung transaction kasi naka-package po yun.
–I didn’t understand the connection of the package to the cancellation of the transaction. Anyway,–
AKO: so pagdating dito ng package, hindi ko na lang siya irreceive.
WARREN: kelangan niyo po sha ireceive para maging staggard (staggered? Hehe) yung payment.
AKO: …sige, tatawag na lang ulit ako.
WARREN: sige mam, if u want mag usap muna kayo ng officemate nyo. I’ll be expecting a call from u tomorrow.
AKO: I’ll call u later.
WARREN: sige po. pero next shift na.
AKO: Ok, bye.

I didn’t call them again, thinking that talking to them over the phone won’t get me anywhere.

Then came Friday, June 4,2010. The package from Metrocare came! Ang bilis a! I asked an officemate and an officer to accompany me to the messenger.
OFFICER: employee po kayo ng metrocare?
MESSENGER: hindi mam. messenger lang.
OFFICER: kasi pinacancel na namin ito e. ibalik mo na lang sa kanila.
MESSENGER: a nagkausap na kayo? so balik ko na lang? cge po.
AKO: opo, nung isang araw ko pa yan pinapacancel.
MESSENGER: ah sige.

looking at me, the messenger said. Kayo po si Ms. Sofia?
Ako: Opo. Ako po.
MESSENGER: Ah, akala ko siya e. (pointing to the officer)

…That’s my experience so far and they still haven’t cancelled the P3,000 charged sa credit card ko.

==========

June 8, 2010

I checked my credit card balance online before lunch time and saw that the floating P3,000 from Metrocare was gone. I couldn’t believe it! again, a too-good-to-be-true scenario. Past lunch time, I called our hotline and confirmed if the floating P3,000 is gone. The agent told me that she wasn’t able to see any floating P3,000 in my account. It was quite weird, actually, because she sounded like the floating transaction didn’t even happen. She also told me that Metrocare probably didn’t settle the transaction; thus, the floating P3,000 disappeared. I was soooooo relieved and thought that I had ‘won the battle’.

Then, at around 4:15pm, WARREN LEGAZPI of METROCARE called. our conversation went something like this:
WARREN: Mam Sofia, ano po nangyari sa package niyo?
AKO: ewan ko
WARREN: hindi niyo po ni-receive
AKO: oo
WARREN: Mam, for sure alam niyo na may floating P5,850 pa rin kayo sa account niyo.
AKO: teka. P5,850??? hindi ba ang usapan ay P3,000 lang??
WARREN: ay oo nga pala, sorry mam. P3k lang nga pala sa inyo. Anyway Ma’am, kung gusto niyong mawala yung floating P3k sa account niyo, pwede kayong magbayad ng cancellation fee.
AKO: cancellation fee???? at bakit ako magbabayad???
WARREN: kasi mam nakapangalan na po sa inyo yung package. (he also said something like my bank also approved the identification number…?? can’t really remember). dapat mam binasa niyo yung papers na kasama sa package.
AKO: e sinabi ko nga kay Mike na gusto ko ipacancel yung transaction e. Tinawagan ko ulit siya, wala pang 1hr ang nakakalipas tapos may package na agad. ambilis naman. I’ve done some research and i read na ‘yung iba, wala namang binabayaran na cancellation fee.
WARREN: may instances mam na hindi kami nagpapabayad ng cancellation fee. case-to-case basis po ‘yun.
AKO: haay nakooooooo
WARREN: if u want mam, pwede kayong gumawa ng cancellation letter. ikwento niyo dun kung ano yung case nung sa inyo ni Mike Gomez. It would depend po on your reason why you want to cancel the transaction. Tapos titignan po namin kung sino yung may diperensya. Kung kayo po yung may diperensya, kelangan niyo magbayad ng cancellation fee.
AKO: e pano kung ang reason ko ay gusto ko lang ipacancel yung transaction? dahil na-realize kong hindi ko kailangan ng card niyo?
WARREN: edi isulat niyo po dun.

I ended up getting his fax number, but I don’t think I’ll be giving them a cancellation letter..

Ang mali ko dito ay hindi ko sinabing ‘e pwede palang i-cancel ‘yung transaction. Ang sabi niyo sa akin nung June 2 ay hindi na ‘yun pwedeng ma-cancel’

Ang labo nila ‘di ba? very inconsistent!!

You may say that Sofia is a bank employee and you may assume that she’s supposed to know scams about money and stuff but she, too, took the bait.

What does this incident tell us? That our banks are lax about keeping our credit card information confidential? Take Sofia, she already works for her bank but still METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES was able to take hold of her credit card information. And the irony about it all is that even her employer’s credit department cannot do anything to cancel the transaction even though they already know that she does not want the transaction.

This issue with Sofia boils down to security and affiliation. She works for a bank that also happens to be her credit card provider. And the irony of it is that they cannot save her. But we must disregard these facts because we already know all too well that banks only operate in a set of rules that they are bound to.

After a month of analysis and introspection, I have come to realize is that in order to capture the monster, we have to set up more traps, strengthen our fortress and fill our armory with enough ammunition to kill anything that moves. What I’m driving at is that aside from being wary and alert for scammers, we also need to set up the right kind of protection from such threats. What we need in order to close down METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES is not only to file protest and dispute cased to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) but also to strengthen the laws that govern and implement such transactions.

Filing cases is not enough to permanently close down METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES. At the moment, they are free to do whatever kind of deception and thievery they can do because they are permitted to. When caught, they can change their company’s name and do their same modus operandi again.

At this time, what we need is putting more teeth to the law. We should not only be filing cases against METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES to the DTI, the trade department should also file laws and administrative rules that can sanction erring corporations.

What we can also do is to contact our newly elected congressmen and have them do something about this.

If you have also been victimized like us, help us. If you know somebody or anything that can help, please do reach out to us. We need all the help we can get.

METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES tries to bargain it out!!!

NEWSFLASH victims of METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES (SMD MARKETING CORP.), the notorious telemarketing company that sells the CITY LIMIT PRIVILEGE CARD! The company called us again and this time, they wanted to bargain out on us in putting down this video clip.

The video clip generally just shows how we questioned the courier’s identity and affiliation with METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES. He also said plainly that if the receipt form of the package of the privilege card was not signed, the victim would not be billed. The courier also said that he will not get paid, if the package is not received and signed.

For those not in the know, my girlfriend was deceived by this telemarketing company’s devious business venture. They offer privilege cards that enable the user to have discounts to various business establishments with no annual fees. What they do is that they say that the would-be victim’s credit card provider/bank has recommended them to offer the would-be victim to their privilege card. METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES’ agent will then rattle off the victim’s credit card details and have him/her confirm this and the transaction is settled. They already have charged the victim via his credit card. Vicious and cunning eh? Yes, it is.

To read how our battle with this scam started, do read these posts.

1. Credit Card SCAM!!! Metro Care Marketing Services Credit Card SCAM (UPDATED)
2. And they were still not done with us. METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES SCAM CALLS AGAIN
3. And the package from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES SCAM arrives

Now, here’s the catch. Since we have a video online, METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES tried to bargain with my girlfriend to put down the video upload. Good luck to them and their venture.

Here’s how my girlfriend tells it.

METRO CARE ENCOUNTER 4 (And so the saga continues hahaha!)

Today, Thursday, June 3, at around 1:50 p.m., a woman from Metro Care Marketing Services called my office landline phone, looking for me. She asked if I received the package containing the privilege discount card. I said that I did not receive any. Truth be told, their courier came to our office and I met him but I did not accept the package. Please read the details here.

The Metro Care Marketing Services woman also asked if I was billed for the discount card they were offering. I said I had not received my billing statement yet. Since I did not receive the package, I was not charged P5,850 for the discount card.

She then asked if I uploaded a video on Youtube. I said “No.”

“Who then?” she asked.

“My friend.” I answered.

She then said that since I was not billed for their discount card, then I was requested to remove the video from the internet.

I asked why.

It was for their Company’s image.

I said “No.”

“Why?” she asked.

I did not trust them. So I was not inclined in removing the video from the internet.

She then named someone, a guy, and asked if I know him.

“No. Sino siya? Ano Kinalaman ko dun?” I told her.

She said he also cancelled his transaction with Metro Care Marketing Services. And he happened to be from the same Company as I am.

“So? Ano kinalaman ko dun?” I asked.

Baka daw sundin ng ibang tao ang ginawa namin.

“Ano? Ano ngayon? Choice nila yun. Wala na akong kinalaman dun.”

But it was for the Metro Care Marketing Services and the courier’s protection, she said.

Protection from what? I asked.

She evaded my question and went on saying they were protecting their Company image. And their couriers were given Metro Care IDs for identification purposes only when entering the building and delivering the packages to their clients. If that was true, I asked why the courier didn’t give his Metro Care ID when he entered our company premises. She went on saying that the courier had other IDs, like SSS, that he could have given. And the couriers were not compensated when they fail to deliver the packages, blah blah blah.

I just said, “No. Di ko tatanggalin ang video sa internet. Kung wala kayong tinatago, ano ang kinatatakutan ninyo?”

And I asked her again what they were too paranoid for Metro Care Marketing Services.

I was not finished talking and she just said, “Sige, Ma’am, para di na humaba pa usapan natin.” And she hung up. Bastos di ba?

Analyzing the situation, Metro Care Marketing Services may have found threatening to their company image to ask me to put down the video. And to think all the video shows and proves is that the courier is a regular employee of Metro Care Marketing Services. It also shows his ID. My conversation with the caller from Metro Care Marketing Services did not even deny the facts that the video stated.

So what’s wrong with the video? It is not malicious. No one bad-mouthed the Metro Care Marketing Services or put the company in bad light. The video did not even malign the courier in the video. No malice was intended when the video was taken. It was taken for my protection and as proof that I did not receive the package and that I did not sign any documents.

I do not see anything wrong with the video. It just shows what happened when the courier delivered the package. The courier was just asked if he was a regular employee of Metro Care and was asked for his ID as proof. And it was true.

So why do they want me to remove the video? Unless they may be officially stating that the couriers are not regular employees of their Company. Now this is the problem I see.

Even if Metro Care already cancelled the floating transaction, I do not see any reason why they want me to remove the video from the internet. Para quits kami? I don’t think so.

Even before Metro Care called today to inform me that I was not charged of the discount card worth P5,850, I already know that the floating transaction was cancelled.

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) called me thru my mobile phone a week before to confirm that I did not receive any package and that I did not sign any document. SCB then informed me that the floating transaction with Metro Care Marketing Services was already cancelled.

“Hay, buti naman” sabi ko.

Earlier last week, I already filed an official dispute to SCB even when I had not received my billing statement yet. They permitted me because, when Metro Care duped me, I right away submitted to SCB my testimonial complaining that Metro Care said I was recommended by SCB for the discount card. I asked SCB how Metro Care knew I had a SCB credit card in the first place, unless SCB referred me. And I was stupid to believe that SCB did indeed recommend me.

It’s just funny how our fight has reached them. And we shall still continue until their fooling, deceiving and victimizing people is put to an end.

And the package from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES SCAM arrives

NOTE: METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES has recently got itself a new victim. This post is the latest of a series of accounts made by my girlfriend as to how she was scammed by this fraudulent telemarketing company.

Read the other posts here and here.

Last May 17, 2010, the package containing the VIP PRIVILEGE CARD from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES was delivered to my girlfriend. It is fortunate that we both work at the same company and I was able to join her in documenting the handing over of the goods.

We were armed to the tooth, we had a video camera, we had other witnesses aside from us and we have alerted our office’s security to aid us just in case the courier bails out on us. Here are the details as told by my girlfriend.

METRO CARE ENCOUNTER – PART THREE

Today, May 17, Monday, at around 10:30 am, the package from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES arrived.

Our lobby security guard called me thru my office landline that a courier was waiting for me at the ground floor lobby. Bigla ako kinabahan kasi di ko inexpect na may darating pa talaga after I told the second caller from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES that I would not accept any offer or package from them. So they really need my authorization to actually charge the whole amount of P5,850 on my credit account. The gall of those people!!!

So, I called my boyfriend right away informing him na dumating na ang package na yan at samahan niya ako. Buti nalang talaga dala ko pa rin ang video recorder ng kapatid ko, to record my encounter with the courier as evidence that the package arrive but I did not accept it and I did not sign any document from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES. Prior to that, I asked two of my officemates to accompany me in meeting this courier, since I told them last week that I got scammed. So I needed all the help and support I could get.

We met with my boyfriend. And the four of us went to the ground floor lobby to meet the courier from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES. I told him that we will do the transaction at the basement of our building. So we went downstairs and inspected the documents he wanted me to sign. I saw three kinds of documents:

1. A CHARGE SLIP authorizing METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES to charge the amount of P5,850 to my credit account
2. A SALES SLIP from RCBC Bankard
3. AN AGREEMENT/CONTRACT TO CHARGE the said amount and PROOF OF RECEIPT of the package

I asked the courier para saan ang documents na ito. Para sa package daw, na ngayon tinatago na niya at ayaw niya ipakita. Hindi ko na nga nahawakan ang package eh. Well, I don’t care. I don’t want to see it anyway.

So, tinanong ko na kung hindi ko pipirmahan ang mga ito, hindi ako ma-cha-charge ng P5,850. Dahil vinivideo namin siya, kinakabahan siya at atat na umalis. Sabi na lang ng courier, pwede na hindi ko na i-sign ang documents.

I asked him if regular employee siya sa METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES. Hindi siya sumagot. I asked kung regular siya or outsourced/contractual. Sabi niya outsourced daw. I asked for his ID. At first hesitant pa siya. I was waiting for him to show his ID. Eventually, he gave it to me. He is Nestor Ponce and his ID shows that he works for METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES as a courier.

Sabi ko “regular employee naman kayo ah. Hindi outsourced.” Hindi siya nakasagot. Nag-suggest officemates ko na ipa-xerox ang documents as proof sa mga documents na pinapa-sign nila. I went to the printing area. So I have the copies of the documents.

I went back and returned the original documents. He asked for his ID back. Sabi namin nasa kanya na. At pinaalis na namin siya. Tapos!!!

I have proof of the three documents. I have a video of who the courier is. I have proof that I did not sign any document and I did not receive any package. Punyeta, di ko nga nahawakan ang package eh. Hindi ko na inalam kung ano ang laman nun, para ibalik niya sa head office nila na sealed ang package at hindi ko tinanggap.

Kapal-kapal talaga nila!!! Kahit sinabihan ko na ang second caller from METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES last May 13, na hindi ko tatanggapin any promo nila, heto nagpadala pa rin sila. What does that prove? Na kailangan nila signature ko to validate the transaction of P5,850 na charged fraudulently sa account ko. Stipulated sa AGREEMENT nila na ‘Membership fees are not refundable on the third and final confirmation of the sales.’

Eh, hindi ako nag-confirm. Until second confirmation lang ako. That was when their ‘manager welcomed me to their club.’ Yuck!

So bottomline is “PWEDE MA-CANCEL NILA ANG TRANSACTION KASI WALANG THIRD CONFIRMATION!!!” They better cancel it because I have evidence, documents and a video, of non-confirmation and they have their courier, MANG NESTOR, to attest to that.

What bothers me is how they were able to produce a charge slip without swiping my card. Is it possible to get a charge slip without a card to swipe thru the device? Ang alam ko lang, walang charge slips kapag online transactions. I know ‘cause I have purchased online at ang binibigay lang as proof of the online purchase is the confirmation/reference number. So how the hell did they get a charge slip?

I called Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) at 2:15 this afternoon. I asked them if it’s possible to have a printed charge slip without swiping a card. The SCB call center agent said NO. Kapag online transactions, confirmation/reference number ang binibigay. ‘So ano ang mangayayari sa floating transaction without the signed charge slip?’ tanong ko. Sabi ng SCB call center agent, pwede na hindi pumasok kasi walang signed charge slip maprepresent ang merchant. Pero to be sure, hintayin ko pa rin daw ang billing statement ko, then I can file a dispute.

Okay. So for now, I will wait for my bill, which is due to arrive on the first week of June. Ang tagal pa!!!

Here is the video of the event.

Here’s the transcription

Transcription:

WOMAN: Hindi naman nila ako sisingilin kung hindi ako pipirma dito di ba?

COURIER: Hindi ka naman masisingil kasi walang pirma.

MAN: Saan ka ulit kuya, sa kanila ano?

COURIER: Hmmm…

MAN: So messenger ka lang?

COURIER: Messenger lang po, ser.

MAN: Bale “in-house” ka nila?

WOMAN: “In-house” ba o out-sourced?

COURIER: Bale out-sourced

MAN: Ah, out-sourced. Okay.

WOMAN: Patingin nga ng ID ninyo, kuya.

COURIER: ID po?

WOMAN: Opo, ID.

(COURIER gets his ID)

MAN: Ay, tiga-City Limits (sic) kayo? Mr. Nestor Ponce.

WOMAN: Ayan oh, Metro Care. Regular naman kayo, Manong. Hindi naman kayo out-sourced eh.

COURIER: Wala kaming ano diyan, ayun. Kung walang deliver, wala rin kaming ano.

And they were still not done with us. METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES SCAM CALLS AGAIN

(UPDATED: Yes, the package of the privilege card did arrive. And we got it on video. See it here.)

Yes, they were still not done with my girlfriend, METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES called my girlfriend again today.

After victimizing and fooling her yesterday, those scammers were still not finished and tried to call her again in attempt to fool her again. Read here to know what happened yesterday.

Here’s what they did to her earlier today.

At around 11 a.m. today, May 13, a person named Ana Seneres called thru my office landline, asking for me. Tumaas kilay ko because I hate anyone mispronouncing my

name. Nagkamali kasi siya. Anyway, I entertained the caller. She said she’s from METRO CARE!!! What the…!!! After victimizing me yesterday, ito na naman sila. Ang

kapal nila tumawag sila again. The gall of these people.

So, dineresto na kaagad ni Ana Seneres sa kanilang crap spiel talking about my pre-approval and recommendation by visa/mastercard to their discount card. She was

talking bad english and diction. Just like yesterday’s caller DEREK DIZON. Tumaas na ang defenses ko to the nth level kasi nga taga METRO cARE siya. I cut her short

telling her someone from METRO CARE already called me.

‘Ah talaga Ma’am? ano ho ang panagalan?’ tanong niya.

Sabi ko DEREK DIZON.

‘Ah ganun po ba? sige. Ma’am, check namin records namin.’

Since I didn’t want her to hang up on me right away, I asked her again on the perks and priviledges of the discount card. Tapos ayaw na niya ako sagutin. Check na lang

daw niya records nila. They said they will call again but they did not. Atat na siya ibaba ang phone. But I held our conversation telling her I’m not interested in
accepting any of their offers.

‘Oh, sige po Ma’am. Check ko po ang records.’

And I was about to confirm na sa Friday, May 14 nga ba talaga darating ang package ng card (which they promised), SHE HANG UP ON ME!!!! Atat na talaga siya makawala sa

conversation namin!!! Damn her!!! And what record is she talking about to check?!!! Scammers talaga sila.

I tried calling her again sa 729-0729 pero wala nang sumasagot.

Then I called my boyfriend right away na may tumawag ulit sakin. At sinabi ko na inaway ko siya. Sayang! sabi ng BF. Sana hinayaan ko lang siya magdakdak sa spiel niya
at nirecord ko para may evidence ako. SAYANG TALAGA!!!

How lucky can i get???!!! Twice ako sinubukang lokohin ng punyetang METRO CARE na yan!!!

I WILL PURSUE MY CASE SA DTI!!!

——————–

We did some more research on METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES and we found out that this scamming company is under one umbrella company called SMD Marketing Corp.

Aside from that, we also found so many horror stories. Many of them.

We found the most informative details about METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES in this blog. You can also get other details here. The Dailyscamalerts website offers more comprehensive means as to how you can avert further deception by these scammers. Thread commentators warn to:

1.) Never to entertain telemarketers. EVER.

2.) Never to divulge any of your credit card details (even though METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES and SMD Marketing Corp. may already know these).

3.) If the conversation between your and METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES has already been done, immediately call your credit card provider and block any transaction from these scammers.

4.) If you have had given your credit card’s confidential info, DO NOT SIGN ANY RECEIPT INVOICE from the courier. They usually claim that this is your signed contract.

5.) In the event that you have signed the “contract,” try to file a complaint with the DTI.

It’s interesting how this SCAM has been operating since 2006. And the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been sitting on their case since then, considering the volume of complaints and people they have victimized.

There are a number of forums that have detailed their modus. Pinoy Exchange has devoted two threads about METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES and SMD Marketing Corp./City Limits. Read here and here.

Another forum, TipidPC, also has a thread warning about this SCAMMER company. Here’s the thread.

There’s a topic devoted to the said SCAM on GMANews.TV’s Facebook page.

Other personal blogs like mich0618’s multiply site and khemikhally33’s blogspot also detail personal anxiety and experience of being caught under METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES and SMD Marketing Corp.

And here’s the bravest of them all. A woman called Alma, posted her personal number 09232907715, encouraging all victims to join her in filing for a class suit against the company. You can see her complaint on Bitag‘s comment page.

If you are a credit card holder or you know people who do, please help us in curbing this fraudulent company’s illegal, deceptive and troublesome SCAM. Please spread the word.

Credit Card SCAM!!! Metro Care Marketing Services Credit Card SCAM (UPDATED)

(This post is updated. Please read the developments of our fight against METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES here. When the VIP privilege card arrived, we also got it on tape. See it here.)

Credit card holders beware.

My girlfriend was recently victimized by a telemarketing company, METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES. These crooks offered my girlfriend a discount card through her credit card. They highwayed their way to get my girlfriend’s credit card details and they immediately charged it to her account even WITHOUT HER WRITTEN CONSENT.

Here is her testimony.

At around 2:20pm on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, may tumawag sakin sa office landline ko na DEREK DIZON, a senior consultant daw from METRO CARE. He was saying that I was recommended by Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) for a minimizer card. This minimizer card daw can reduce your purchases by 50% to 60%. Tapos may kasama pang gift certificates worth P3000. He said that Metro Care is not affiliated with Standard Chartered Bank pero recommended pa rin ako ng SCB. Di sila affiliated to any bank pero accepted sa Visa and Mastercard ang minimizer card nila. So pwede ko gamitin ang card anywhere na may Visa/Mastercard.

Since gusto ko ng discounts, (sino ang hindi diba?) nakinig ako sa promo ni Derek Dizon ng METRO CARE na may discounts daw sa affiliated establishments and restaurants, like in Boracay, etc. Sa Friday, May 14, daw darating ang package containing the minimizer card. No cash out. At tawag daw ako sa kanya to confirm na natanggap ko na ang package. Binigay niya ang contact number na 729 -0722. Tapos sabi niya na approved daw ako for P5,850 lang kasi for evaluation pa daw para maqualify ako sa P16,000.

Since dirediretso siyang nagsasalita, hindi ako maka-butt in. Pero pinilit ko pa rin magtanong kung for what yung P5,850 ng METRO CARE. Tapos inulit nya lang ang explanation nya na it can reduce your purchases to 50-60% at tatanggapin ang minimizer card sa Visa and Mastercard-affiliated establishments. Pero i clarified pa rin kung i-chacharge ba yung amount sa account ko. Kasi hindi ko siya maintindihan. SOBRANG BILIS nya kasi magsalita. Bad English and wrong pronunciation pa nga siya eh… So may duda na ako kung legal nga ito but I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Tapos biglang hiningi ni DEREK DIZON ng METRO CARE ang card number ko. Alam nya ang first four digits ng card number ko and he’s asking me to continue and finish the last 12 digits. At this point wary na ako kasi hinihingi nya card number ko. So tinanong ko siya ulit para saan ang P5,850 since hindi pa rin ako satisfied sa sagot nya before. I’m asking talaga “IF I HAVE TO PAY P5,850.” So, nagbigay siya ng example na kapag bumili ako ng refrigerator worth P17,000, kasama na dun ang P5,850. So sa pagkakaintindi ko, debit siya sa account ko. As in NEGATIVE P5,850 (-P5,850) ang papasok sa account ko. So ang balance kong babayaran sa ref na binili ko is P17,000-5850 = 11,150 na lang. Kasi nga ‘di ba, they’re offering discounts so I understood na discount ang P5,850. Kasi nga ang bilis niya magsalita. So na-bobombard ako ng info na magulo na ang sinasabi niya unless tutukan mo talaga ang lahat ng sinasabi nya.

So in the end, tinanong nya ulit ang credit number ko saying the first four digits of my credit number. May hesitation ako sa pagbigay kasi alam kong hindi dapat dinidisclose and credit details to strangers. But since naalala ko na sabi niya na recommended nga ako by SCB (at may tiwala ako sa banks!) sinabi ko pa rin. Tapos tinanong nya kung sa office or home ba idedeliver ang package. Sabi ko sa office. So hiningi nya ang office address ko, which is unfortunately also my billing address. Tinanong pa nya birth date ko at kung Visa or Mastercard ang SCB credit card ko. So sabi ko Visa. Pero di na niya tinanong ang 3-number verification code sa likod ng card ko. So ayun nakuha nila credit details ko. At since wala na akong tanong, nag-hung up na siya.

Tapos natakot na ako. May gut feeling akong na baka naloko na ako, tinawagan ko kaagad ang SCB call center, asking kung may ganoong discount cards ba silang inooffer and kung may alam silang METRO CARE. Sabi ng agent, baka marketing promo yun pero hindi affiliated dun ang SCB kasi lahat ng promotions nila ay kasama sa billing statement ko, either nakaprint sa statement mismo or leaflets na naka-attach.

Sabi pa ng SCB call center agent, na pwede pa naman akong tumanggi pag dumating na ang package on Friday. At since no cash out nga sabi ni DEREK DIZON, so i thought i can still decline the offer. So pwede kong hintayin ang courier to decline the offer. Kasi nga may kutob na akong baka i-charge na sa account ko. Wary din naman kasi ako sa mga fraudulent telemarketers. So to verify kung legal nga ang promo at valid ang contact number na binigay niya, I dialled his contact number. Walang sumasagot. Ring lang nang ring. I called again. Ring lang din. Tapos sa third try, busy tone na. Busy tone pa rin sa fourth try ko.

In desperation, I called SCB call center again asking about the promo at kung may transaction ba na bago. Sabi ng agent may transaction pumasok at around 2:30 from METRO CARE worth P5,850. AYUN!!! Kinabahan na ako. Balak ko nga sana i-decline ang package pagdating sa Friday kasi nga I still have the right NOT TO ACCEPT the package. Tapos nakacharge na pala! So tinanong ko ang call agent kung pwede pa ma-cancel ang transaction as void kasi without my consent. Wala pa nga akong pinepermahan eh.

Sabi ng SCB call center agent na dapat makausap ko ang merchant kasi sila lang ang may authority to cancel the transaction. Hindi ko nga ma-contact ang merchant eh. So paano ko sila makausap to cancel the transaction? Labas na daw ang bank sa transactions na naka-charge. All SCB can do is to block the card and have it replaced with a replacement fee of P400. (O ‘di ba, may babayaran pa akong fee. Tsk.) At mag-file na lang daw ako ng dispute upon receipt ng billing statement ko. I asked kung bakit di nila ma-cancel ang transaction as void kahit ni-report ko na as a fraudulent transaction. Ang transaction daw kasi nangyari between me and the merchant. Labas na daw ang bank dun. SO I HAVE TO CONTACT METRO CARE AND TELL THEM TO CANCEL THE TRANSACTION. I called SCB again for the third time saying na ni-research naming ang METRO CARE sa internet at scam nga siya. Pero wala pa rin silang magagawa unless may cancellation certificate from the merchant.

I researched further about METRO CARE. And I found a forum thread (http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=414712) and http://www.tipidpc.com/viewtopic.php?tid=153091) about METRO CARE fraud. Marami na sila nabiktima since 2006 pa. Tapos ang latest ay last week. Tapos may nabasa kaming complaint sa Bitag (ang TV program ni Ben Tulfo of the Tulfo Brothers)( http://telebisyon.net/Bahala-si-Bitag/series/comments/) na nabiktima din siya ng METRO CARE last May 3, 2010 lang at nag-file na siya sa Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) ng mediation with METRO CARE.

Ito ang sinabi niya sa webpage ng Bitag.

“Name: Alma Location: Q.C.
Subject: Metro Care Mktg. Services/Citylimits/SMD Corp.

katatapos lang ng mediation ko with metrocare & dti mediator at wala kaming napagkasunduan dahil magkaiba ang stand ko at ang stand ng metrocare sa kanila valid daw ang transaction namin pero para sa akin fraud at void ang transaction ko from the very beginning with them. so na-elevate into arbitration/hearing process ang case na ito wherein mag dedecide ang dti hearing offer as to whom his decision would be in favor kung sa metrocare in favor ang decision dismiss lang ang case ko pero kung sakin in favor i-gagrant ng metrocare ang request ko na i-refund sa citibank (my credit card provider) yong P5850 na ibinayad nila. for now, hinihintay ko pa ang summon coming from the dti kung kelan ang arbitration/hearing. by the time na may schedule nako ng hearing inform ko kayong lahat na nabiktima ng panloloko ng metrocare para dun na lang tayo sa dti magkita-kita at mag-usap-usap at maka pag file tayo ng class suit against metrocare, mapag-uusapan na rin natin ang pag papamedia sa kanila at ang iba pa nating hakbangin. maski kayong mga 2006 pa nabiktima meet tayong lahat dahil may habol pa rin kayo laban sa kanila. inaasahan ko ang pakikisa ng lahat upang mahinto na ang panloloko ng mga taga-metrocare marketing services. nakikiusap din po ako kay mr. ben tulfo ng bitag kung maaari po sana ay makita ko rin kayo sa dti sa time ng hearing ko (inform ko po kayo kung kelan) upang matulungan na rin po kami. this is my cp# 09232907715.

Tinawagan namin ng boyfriend ko ang nagpost sa thread asking as to what happened and what we can do to cancel the fraudulent transaction in my credit account. May nakausap na daw siyang representative from METRO CARE. At METRO CARE was presenting evidence of a signed contract accepting the package and the obligation to pay P5,850. But on her account, wala siyang contract napirmahan. Charge slip lng upon receipt of the package. So it turned out na finorge daw ang signature niya sa contract. So now she’s waiting for her summon sa DTI for further investigation sa complaint niya. Now naghahanap siya ng other victims ng METRO CARE to file a class suit para matanggalan ng business permit ang METRO CARE.

So I’m asking for help in my complaint against METRO CARE. I’m asking support from anyone who knows someone from DTI. Sana naman you could shed light into this matter. How come banks cannot cancel/void the transaction? Even without the verification code, METRO CARE can push through with the transaction. There should be more levels for protection ang mga credit card holders against this kind of fraudulent transactions.

I’m also asking for help to all of my friends working at different banks to give advice and help me as to why and how such a fraudulent transaction could transpire and how to reverse/cancel such transaction. How can groups such as METRO CARE know of my contact details? How can they get my office number? How did they know the first few numbers of my credit account??!!! How did they know that I have a Standard Chartered credit card, in the first place? That should be confidential information between me and my bank.

I also ask my lawyer friends for legal help as to how I can revoke the business permit of METRO CARE. Grabe sila ha. Ibang level ng desperation and anxiety ang dinulot nila sa akin. Kahit sabihin na nating kaya kong bayaran ang lecheng discount card na yan, hindi ko naman alam kung sulit siya for me. Dinakdakan lang ako ng dinakan ng lecheng DEREK DIZON nay an, kung sino man siya.

And finally, I call on to all credit card holders to be more wary of these kinds of modus operandi. I advise you AGAIN not to disclose any important credit card information. In my case, may deception na ginawa si DEREK DIZON ng METRO CARE. He pretended to know my credit card number by leading me with the first few digits and let me finish it off. He didn’t answer my questions and just played by his spiel.

And now, I call to you, my friend, to spread the word so that no one else could be victimized by METRO CARE or any other telemarketing company. Please don’t let yourself or your loved ones feel the desperation and anxiety I am feeling now.

Please let us know if you have also experienced such an ordeal. Help us spread the word of this atrocity.

———————

UPDATED: Please read developments of my girlfriend’s ordeal here. METRO CARE MARKETING SERVICES tried to scam her again!!!

The gall of these people!

coldplaying

they always do have the right words to say.

pondering

the death of Stephen Gately brought up this Conclusion.