CITIZENS COMPASS– A social media user has narrated how she tactfully rescued a man from alleged scammers.
The X user said her proactiveness paved the way for this miraculous escape.
According to her, she was out to get her nails done when she noticed a young man being led to an unknown destination in a scamming and scary manner by two elderly men.
Sensing danger, she decided to bravely approach the scenario pondering on the next line of action.
The woman said she noticed that as the alleged scammers approached a junction, one of the elderly men suddenly branched to another direction, leaving the other to continue with the boy. She aptly seized the opportunity to alert nearby residents who immediately unravelled the abduction which was later discovered to be a notorious scam known as Palapala, a con in which scammers pretend to magically transform paper into money using chemicals. Victims are then lured into purchasing these fake “money-making” chemicals or drawn into elaborate rituals, during which their accounts are drained, and some are pressured into taking loans to fund the scam.
The suspect admitted that once a target engages with them, they are psychologically manipulated to follow orders without question.
The young man who was being led away revealed he had only just met the duo on the road and didn’t understand why he was following them—further confirming suspicions of manipulation or hypnosis, a tactic common in such scams.
Although the alleged scammer was reportedly beaten by the angry crowd, he was later released after several bystanders intervened and pleaded on his behalf.
As of press time, local authorities are yet to comment on the viral incident.
