Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has a warning to the public: do not fall for the so-called love scams.

You might have read about the scheme in the news. One prominent case involved a 78-year-old Singaporean actor who lost almost P1.5 million to a woman whom he had met on a dating app which led him to invest in shady online businesses in the Philippines.

READ: Singapore actor loses P1.5 million to pretty face in PH online scam

Featuring a soulful setlist curated and performed by Nicole Asensio and her band together with Noname co-founders Echo Bueno and Chili Perez, and the audience in attendance, “Daydreams” became an afternoon like no other.

The allure of ballerinas has long dawned on little girls, with most awakenings pointed at Barbie films such as “Swan Lake” (2003) and “12 Dancing Princesses” (2006) alongside children’s storybook character Angelina Ballerina, who embodies the original coquette girl that we know growing up.

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Another case involved a 53-year-old French woman duped by scammers posing as the actor Brad Pitt.

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With many people falling for the scheme, which mostly targets senior citizens, BSP Deputy Governor Elmore Capule said that victims have legal recourse.

For one, Capule said the recently enacted Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (Afasa) compels banks to temporarily hold funds that have been the subject of a dispute, which can immediately stop fraudulent transactions.

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But the BSP official flagged the one obstacle in the speedy filing of a complaint: love.

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This, as some senior citizen victims, may have a hard time realizing that they had been love-scammed, which can delay the filing of a complaint. In this case, Capule said there were still ways to help aged victims.

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The BSP official said the children of senior citizen victims may file a complaint as a “guardian” of their parents.

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“We call it a guardianship proceeding. Your mother is already incapable of making rational decisions. That’s why you should be a guardian,” he said. —Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral

Article continues after this advertisement PH insurance costs rising

Los Angeles may be a vast ocean away from the Philippines, but the effects of the devastating fires that recently hit the City of Angels are nevertheless still keenly felt here.

Biz Buzz sources say that insurance costs have risen— with some companies jacking up their premiums by as much as 30 percent for 2025—because of the higher perceived risk from natural calamities.

The way that these companies see it, what happened to Los Angeles can easily happen here, too. Perhaps the devastation will not necessarily come from fire but from other natural disasters.

READ: Fil-Am group teams up with LA Food Bank to aid wildfire victims

The Philippines already owns the title of being the most vulnerable country to natural disasters owing to its location in the typhoon belt and the Pacific Ring of Fire.

It thus stands to reason that with climate change magnifying the frequency and impact of these natural disasters, the cost of coverage will naturally go up. And that is if the insurance companies will even decide to cover the risk at all.

So if they do, don’t be surprised if you receive a notice from your insurance company that policies covering risks such as fire, flood, and earthquake will be more expensive this year, and likely even more expensive in the years to come. — Tina Arceo-Dumlao

Heads up, job seekers!

If you are looking for work opportunities, you can go to certain Robinsons Malls where a job fair is being held until Feb. 27.

The participating malls are Magnolia, Novaliches, Las Pinas, Cabanatuan, Palawan, Angeles, Galleria Cebu, North Tacloban, Butuan, and Cagayan de Oro.

This program is in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment.

Thousands of applicants had already flocked to the job fair event, with some of them getting hired on the spot.

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Interested applicants may check the official social media pages of Robinsons Malls to know more about the schedule, venuesrich 888, and other pertinent details. —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad INQ

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