OFW becomes victim of overpriced ticket scam at NAIA

Two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) were recently scammed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as they were tricked into purchasing overpriced Cebu Pacific flight tickets.

Neil Laude, an OFW from the Middle East, shared his unfortunate experience in a post on Facebook where he was fooled into purchasing domestic Cebu Pacific Tickets that were more than double its price.

On July 18, 2015, Neil arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 aboard Etihad Airways at around 5 p.m. because their flight was two hours delayed. He tried to find a shuttle bus going to NAIA Terminal 3, however, he did not immediately find one. An airport police officer then approached him and asked him if he already has a ticket. Neil said his flight schedule was at 6 p.m. that day. The airport police called another man whom the airport police said would help him go to NAIA Terminal 3. Trusting the airport police, Neil went with the man and rode a rainbow taxi with him.

When they were already inside the car, the man told Neil that he cannot make it to his 6 p.m. flight and told the driver to go to a ticketing office. When he arrived at the ticketing office, he saw a woman who was angry as she was not also able to make it to her flight. He asked the staff at the ticket office how much a 9:20 p.m. ticket was since he can still make it. He was surprised that the ticket price was P8,245.00. He was convinced by the ticketing staff that the price was fair since immediate purchases cost more. Since the ticket was so expensive, he just bought a ticket for next day’s flight at 4:20 a.m for P5,750.00. He was also just given a voucher instead of an official receipt.

After he bought the ticket, he was brought to a guest house where he met a woman from Mindanao who had the same story. Since he already had some doubts, he immediately purchased cellphone load credits to check his booking details online. He then found out that they were deceived by the airport police and his companions.

On a final note, Niel warned other OFWs of the current modus at NAIA Terminal 1. It is just unfortunate that some people take advantage of other people who work hard just to earn money.