PARANG, Maguindanao del Norte — A vendor selling malunggay pandesal at the public market in the town of Parang fell victim to a “piking pera” or fake money scam after allegedly receiving counterfeit bills from unidentified suspects posing as customers.
According to a report, the victim sought assistance from the Parang Municipal Police Station after being deceived by a male suspect who arrived aboard a passenger payong-payong along with another masked individual.
The victim told authorities that the suspect purchased around ₱2,000 worth of malunggay pandesal. Believing the transaction to be legitimate, the vendor immediately handed over the bread and accepted the cash payment without noticing anything unusual.
However, shortly after the payong-payong driver and his companion left the area, the vendor discovered that the money used to pay for the goods was fake.
The incident prompted local police to immediately conduct monitoring operations and patrols in various parts of the public market in an effort to track down the suspects and prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Authorities have yet to identify the individuals involved, but investigators are currently gathering information and reviewing possible leads related to the counterfeit money scheme.
Meanwhile, the Parang Municipal Police Station urged the public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious individuals, especially those carrying large quantities of pandesal or anyone believed to be connected to the incident.
Police also reminded vendors and business owners to carefully inspect banknotes during transactions to avoid becoming victims of counterfeit money scams, particularly in busy public market areas where suspects often take advantage of fast-paced buying and selling activities.