Scam Sam

I've been meaning to blog about this text/SMS scam that I often received for the last month. Initially I thought it's authentic but good thing I search in Google if anyone/ anybody experienced it or it's just me who "luckily" got chosen. A brief overview about the text, there's a girl named Sam Mendoza who is a DOST Scholar living in a boarding house in Bacolod who wants to go to Manila for a final job interview. She's asking for help by sending SMS/ text to random Globe numbers asking for money. In return of the money that the Good Samaritan will send to her, she's willing to do anything to repay the kindness.

Turns out that the text from a Sam Mendoza goes way back to 2010. See the ff. links who posted about the text from Sam and the date of their blog entries...

http://gregielane.blogspot.com/2011/06/sam-mendoza-scam.html
http://noelizm.blogspot.com/2011/09/sms-scam-alert-sam-mendoza.html
http://gxian.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/chronicles-of-sam/

And here's the content of the text that was sent to me. So far, this was the longest SMS she/he sent me and it came from 0915-5051754.

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September 26, 2012 12:16 AM - Good day po, si Sam po to, ung girl na humihingi ng 2long makapunta ng maynila.. M22lungan nio po b ako? Gagawin ko po ung kapalit na hhngin nio, para lang makapunta npo ako ng mynila.. Parang awa nio napo..

September 26, 2012 4:36 AM - I'm Sam Mendoza, 22yo girl, from Mandalagan, Bacolod City. Graduate po ng BS Information Management (DOST Scholarship). Living alone sa isang boarding ha

September 26, 2012 8:45 AM - Puwede po humingi ng help sa inyo? I'm Sam, 22yo GIRL from BACOLOD CITY. May deadline lng po sana ako for Final Briefing po sa SanMiguelCorp-Ortigas th

September 27, 2012 4:51 PM - 
Name: Sam O. Mendoza
Age : 22
Sex: Female
Location: Bacolod City, Negros Occ.
Height: 5'6"
Other: Joined some provincial pageants for allowance.
Course: BS Information Management (Computer & Accountancy)
School: DOST Scholar in University of St. La Salle-Bacolod
Parents: Anna & Luisito Mendoza (both deceased)

September 28, 2012 7:29 AM - kailangang kailangan ko po talaga ng tulong niyo.... ako lang mag isa ngayon sa bacolod kaya medyo mahirap po yung sitwasyon ko ngayon gayong wala po akong trabaho dito... bigyan niyo lang po sana ako ng chance na makapunta ng maynila... yun lang naman po sana yung hinihingi kong tulong... willing naman po akong magsakripisyo eh na magbigay ng kapalit para lang po sa trabaho ko sana sa maynila... hirap na po talaga ako dito... sam

September 28, 2012 1:04 PM - I'm Sam Mendoza, 22yo girl, from Mandalagan, Bacolod City. Graduate po ng BS Information Management (DOST Scholarship). Living alone sa isang boarding haus po d2 sa Purok Sambag. 5'6", and hardworking province girl po. May pic po ako sa www.SMCWork.tk. Nagtetext lang po ako ng random numbers na GLOBE postpaid numbers po and really hoping na may makita man lng ako kht maliit na 2long para makaluwas ng mynila. Wala po akong idea kung babae po o lalaki tinitext ko.. But im really willing to give any favorable exchange in ur part para sa tulong na makapunta sa mynila.. Un lang po sana... - sam

September 29, 2012 2:13 AM - Hindi ko na rin naman po gagawin to kung meron rin lng naman po akong mahihiraman at mlalapitan d2. Wala naman po ako relatives dito dahil kung nabasa niyo po yung website na naibigay ko, nasa surigao po kasi dun po talaga lugar ng nanay at tatay ko... Puro estudyante lng po na mga scholars din kgaya ko ang mga kasama ko po d2 sa boarding haus. Puro umaasa lang din sa parents nila at sa scholarshi po.

September 29, 2012 11:38 AM - pls help. sam

October 9, 2012 2:34 AM - pls help... sam

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I'm thinking of how he/she get my number. My hunch is probably from the fliers that I asked my brother to give to the neighbors to promote my Human Nature products (I'm one proud dealer!). I didn't bother calling the number being used by "Sam". Didn't bother to send a text as well. Whoever's behind it, karma is just around the corner waiting to pounce.