The Davao City Council on Tuesday issued a strong warning to Dabawenyos following a rise in online booking scams involving fake resort and event venue pages.
Councilor Jessica “Cookie” Bonguyan sounded the alarm during a privilege speech before the 21st City Council, urging the public to be extra cautious when reserving resorts, rest houses, and event venues for Christmas gatherings and year-end celebrations.
Bonguyan said scammers have been impersonating legitimate establishments by creating Facebook pages that copy official branding, photos, and promotional content.
She said these fake accounts offer enticing “holiday promos” at heavily discounted rates and instruct victims to send payments to personal bank accounts.
“Victims usually discover the scam only when they arrive at the resort. By then, the scammer has already disappeared,” she said.
The councilor described the schemes as highly convincing and increasingly sophisticated.
She shared that she herself narrowly avoided falling victim after encountering a fake resort page offering unusually low rates.
She verified with the legitimate resort page, and they confirmed that the page offering her a promo was a scam.
“This proves no one is exempt. These scammers are patient, strategic, and skilled at mimicking legitimate businesses,” Bonguyan said.
She urged Dabawenyos to take precautions when making online bookings, including verifying page authenticity, contacting establishments through official numbers or websites, scrutinizing payment instructions, avoiding offers that are “too good to be true,” and taking the time to double-check before sending money.
“Fraudsters take advantage of the holiday rush. Awareness and vigilance are our strongest defense,” she said.
