THE Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) headed by Brigadier General William M. Segun warned Filipinos anew to be wary of con artists involved in carnapping so they won’t be duped of their hard-earned money.

Brig. Gen. Segun advised the public to be wary of the so-called ‘Talon/Pasalo,’ ‘Pasalo-Benta,’ ‘Labas-Casa’ schemes as well as other fraudulent schemes to get motor vehicles from their consenting registered owners at first.

Thus, he called on the public to first check with them the records of 2nd-hand motor vehicles they are planning to buy to avoid being victimized by con artists involved in highly-lucrate technical carnapping.

The PNP-HPG said car theft syndicates nowadays are using very different modus operandi compared to the past.

Brig. Gen. Segun reported to PNP chief General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil that lately his men have accounted for a number of motor vehicles stolen through such schemes.

One of the suspects, described as a 39-year old credit investigator, from Kawit, Cavite was arrested in an entrapment inside a shopping mall in Bacoor City in Cavite recently.

Recovered from the suspect’s possession was a 2024 Honda ADV (N563AE) which he tried to sell via Facebook Marketplace.

Cavite HPG operatives apprehended the accused following a complaint from a man who discovered that he had bought a stolen motorbike from the suspect.

The complainant said that the suspect then offered to sell him another motorcycle with spurious documents.

Another sting in Biñan City, Laguna last Nov. 18 resulted in the recovery of a stolen Toyota Vios (DAU 1836).

Four suspects were arrested by the PNP-HPG following a complaint from a female resident, said Brig. Gen. Segun.

An investigation showed that the female lost her vehicle to the suspects who were involved in a ‘Rent-Tangay-Sangla’ scheme last October 28.

It turned out that one of the accused pawned the car to another suspect for P250,000. In turn, the buyer pawned the motor vehicle to the two other suspects.

Brig. Gen. Segun said that an MG HS Trophy with conduction sticker WOY837 was also voluntarily surrendered to the HPG Special operations Division/Task Force Limbas by its possessor after she learned that it had fraudulent registration papers.

The woman said the car was pawned to her for P500,000 by another woman who gave her what turned out to be a fake Certificate of Registration from the Land Transportation Office.

The PNP-HPG said that syndicates involved in the so-called ‘Talon/Pasalo’ modus operandi, which had victimized thousands of Filipinos many years ago, continue to exist with the perpetrators apparently getting help from erring bank insiders.

Since 2010, the PNP-HPG has detected the presence of syndicates known for ‘pawning or selling’ motor vehicles to unsuspecting persons for a price way beyond their normal sale value.

Operations launched by the PNP-HPG in the past had resulted in the recovery of hundreds of SUVs and cars which were acquired through the same fraudulent scheme.

In many cases, high-end SUVs have been acquired by syndicates using ‘fictitious names’ which should have been easily detected by credit investigators being fielded by banks.

Once the vehicle is released, the individual will pay the amortization for some months before the vehicle disappears, taken by the syndicate and sold to other persons with the use of fraudulent Land Transportation Office (LTO) registration papers.

The stolen vehicles are being passed off as legitimate 2nd-hand motor vehicles complete with fake conduction stickers and plate numbers.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon