Lalaking nanalisi, huli nang mamukhaan ng tindera na dati na niyang nabiktima

- A scam suspect was caught in Tondo, Manila after being recognized by a store owner he had previously tricked in January

- The suspect’s modus involved pretending to buy noodles with ₱500, then secretly swapping the bill with ₱20 to confuse the seller

- The store owner remembered the suspect’s face and prevented him from escaping during his second attempt

- The 25-year-old suspect admitted to the scam, saying he was desperate due to financial struggles and his pregnant partner, but the owner plans to press charges

A man was caught by residents in Tondo, Manila after being recognized by a store owner he previously scammed.

The suspect attempted the same trick at the same store on Friday night, but this time, he failed to get away.

According to a report by Jhomer Apresto on 24 Oras Weekend, CCTV footage from the sari-sari store in Barangay 123 showed the suspect pretending to buy instant noodles and handing over a ₱500 bill.

This was the same strategy he used back in January when he first tricked the store owner.

In the earlier incident, the suspect asked for his noodles to be cooked after handing the money.

While the storekeeper was distracted, he secretly swapped the ₱500 bill with a ₱20 bill and claimed he hadn't been given the correct change. Confused, the seller gave him another ₱500, unknowingly falling into the scam.

But during his second attempt, store owner Jennelyn Dela Cruz immediately recognized him.

“I remembered his face and what he said before. I asked my coworkers to hold him while I kept the money,” she said.

The 25-year-old man, a resident of a nearby barangay, admitted to his actions.

He said desperation drove him to repeat the scam, citing financial struggles and his pregnant partner.

Despite his apology, Dela Cruz is determined to press charges.

The suspect was handed over to the barangay and is set to face formal complaints in the coming days.

News, photos or videos that arouse the interest of netizens would often go viral on social media, due to the attention netizens give them. These viral posts appeal to the emotions of netizens, and in rare cases, such could also happen to ordinary people, making them very relatable.

In other news, Arnie Benedicto, the Barangay Captain of Lantad, Silay City and the primary suspect in the fatal shooting of the supporters of the incumbent mayor of the said city, has surrendered to the authorities. It can be recalled that early on Monday, May 12, 2025, news about the fatal shooting that resulted in two deaths and seven injuries spread like wildfire online. The shooting incident is claimed to be linked to alleged vote buying monitoring activities. Witnesses say the violence erupted after Benedicto reportedly fired upon volunteers of “Team Ugyon” who were monitoring alleged vote-buying activities outside a property associated with “Team Asenso.”

Still in other news, a 65-year-old man, Nestor Rensales, died after voting in Oas, Albay during the midterm elections. Rensales, a stroke survivor, felt dizzy and collapsed shortly after casting his vote at Oas South Central Elementary School, ABS-CBN reported. His wife shared that he insisted on voting despite the heat and early crowd, believing his vote still mattered. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Source: KAMI.com.gh