John Arcilla, Lotlot de Leon recall falling victim to scams
John Arcilla and Lotlot de Leon at the “Sins of the Father” red carpet. Images: Instagram/@starmagicphils, Hannah Mallorca/INQUIRER.net
Touching on the theme of their new drama “Sins of the Father,” John Arcilla and Lotlot de Leon admitted that they, too, fell victim to scams and were unable to get their money back.
The screen veterans are among the lead stars of the revenge drama, playing the onscreen parents of Gerald Anderson. The revenge drama tells the story of a bank manager named Samuel Trinidad (Anderson), who is forced to confront the victims left behind by his father, Mike (Arcilla), whose extravagant money-making scheme turned out to be a scam.
According to Arcilla, he and his family were victims of a pyramiding scheme by his student in acting.
“Noong 1990s, millions ang [tinangay] from the family, and nag-scam sa’kin is yung estudyante ko sa acting, so ang tawag nya in sa parents ko, ‘Nanay’ and ‘Tatay.’ And ‘yung sa siblings ko, ‘Kuya,’ ‘Ate.’ Gan’un siya ka-close sa’min. In fact, ginamit niya ‘yung acting sa’kin,” he shared during the drama’s media conference.
(In the 1990s, millions were stolen from my family. The one who scammed me was my student in acting. This person addressed my parents as “Mom” and “Dad,” and my siblings as “Ate” and “Kuya.” That’s how close they were to us. In fact, this person applied the lessons of acting to me.)
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Arcilla added that many fell for the scammer, including fellow actor Eula Valdez. Despite the anonymous scammer being “tortured” by friends, they were able to escape. “Buong barangay nila, pati mga classmates niya sa school, nakuha niya lahat. Hinabol siya ng ibang mga na-scam.”
“Actually, tinorture siya ng mga kaibigan. Tumalon siya [from a high building], then na-hospitalize siya. Tumakas siya after several days,” he continued. “Ngayon, ang alam namin sa kanya, nag-change na siya ng face. Kami ni Eula [Valdez] ang kasama d’un before.”
(Many fell victim to the scammer, including people from their barangay and classmates. They were then chased and tortured by friends. They jumped from a high building, and were hospitalized. They were able to escape after several days. The last time we heard from them was when they were able to change their face. Eula Valdez was one of their victims, too.)
Meanwhile, de Leon, who used to sell bangus, said she was approached by a mysterious benefactor who bought P80,000 worth of items and paid through a manager’s check.
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“There was a time — many years ago — nagbebenta ako ng boneless bangus. Sumali ako sa expo. May nag-order sa’kin ng P80,000 worth of bangus. Binayaran ako ng manager’s check,” she said. “Noong tinanggap, dineliver at pinick up ng isang bank. We went to the bank, fake ‘yung manager’s check. Pero ‘yung account number at pangalan, existing d’un sa bangkong ‘yun.”
(There was a time — many years ago — when I used to sell boneless bangus. I was part of an expo. Someone ordered P80,000 worth of bangus from me. This person paid me through a manager’s check. When we went to pick up the money from the bank, the manager’s check turned out to be fake. But the owner’s account number and other details existed in the bank.)
Joining Arcilla, de Leon and Anderson in “Sins of the Father” are Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin, Tirso Cruz III, Jessy Mendiola, Shaina Magdayao, Joko Diaz, RK Bagatsing, and JC de Vera, among others. /ra
