Budol-Budol Gang
Scene of the crime: The Budol-Budol Gang can strike anywhere using their alleged powers of hypnotism and "boodle" or counterfeit money--hence the name--that turn out to be just sheets of paper. Interestingly, Google Translate says "budol" means "gullible person."
Plan of attack: Their M.O. may have evolved over the years but here’s their basic tactic: They lure or blackmail their victims into giving them valuables or cash in exchange for a bag filled with fake bills or products. In one reported instance in 2008, two suspected Budol-Budol Gang members managed to get a cellphone, a Walkman, and P2,000 from an unidentified 16-year-old girl in Cebu. The male and female suspects claimed they were looking for a vehicle to transport their things. Before they went to search for a vehicle, they asked the girl to hold on to a bag supposedly filled with money. In return, they got the girl to give them her valuables as a sort of safety deposit. It wasn’t long before the girl discovered the bag contained only fake bills. In 2005, a victim identified only as Marie claimed some Budol-Budol Gang members hypnotized her into giving them her money, jewelry, and mobile phones. She said she did not remember much after a man allegedly engaged her in small talk while she was walking along Ortigas Avenue. All she could recall was getting inside a certain van, drinking a glass of water, and handing over two years’ worth of savings of her seaman husband. All that in exchange for a black bag stuffed with sheets of paper.
Defense mechanism: First of all, bear in mind one of the first things everyone learns as a kid: Don’t talk to strangers. Of course, that can’t be helped sometimes so remember another basic rule: Don’t accept candy from strangers. In this case, if strangers are giving you something as "sweet" as a bagful of cash, you better refuse. If you’re afraid of being hypnotized, find out how the controversial phenomenon supposedly works to avoid succumbing to it.
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