Scams in the philippines

scam #1 ;
The friendly expat trying to get you to invest in his 100% sure project.

Whether its real estate, hotels, restaurants, or other projects. they are most certainly all scams.
And those foreigners are everywhere where the innocent tourist or newbie frequents. Now one could assume that he gets warned by other "serious" expats (like the pub owner) living in the Philippines.
But that is not the case, Expats living in the Philippines have developed a live and let live attitude.

So be careful with your hard earned money, there is no investment partnership i would know about. And if, i would certainly not share it with others.

scam#2 ;
the friendly pinoy, sometimes even new relatives trying to .... see scam #1

I think the biggest scams are instutionalised and go unnoticed by the local folk who are inured to obeying whatever the "authorities" say is required without question as for expats the well known quote

"If you want to make a small fortune in the Phils you should start with a big one" covers most of the required understanding

double posted

How to avoid scams ?

Now, i have explained that there are foreigners scamming Expats.
(as well as pinoy, but this is logical, because the country is full of Filipinos, right ? So i be stay focused on foreigner for while)

How to avoid or know?

Follow a few simple rule. When approached, be polite and ask for a calling card, so you can visit the office the next day or so.
One polite excuse would be, that yu never discuss business when on pleasure, because ost likely you will be approached in Pubs, bars or other "social" occasions.

By then, a large number of scammer's will be gone off, because they have no office, and maybe not even a calling card.. But you may be a free beer richer, maybe only...because they sometimes buy you a beer.
(Oh, small scam warning on this place, some invite you for a beer and then they suddenly have forgotten their wallet, so if somebody invites you, make sure he pays for it beforehand. or has a tab running. No shame in asking, you could say, "Yesterday a guy invited me for a beer too and then i had to pay his" )
But back to the real topic.

If the person has a home office, you can look for indications of Business Permits, DTI or other documents displayed on the wall, as the law requires. If not there, you can ask for it.
Offices also say a lot about the people and their character, old business rule.
And last, but not least, bring an attorney of your choice if subsequent meetings follow. As a real businessman you would need one on the long run anyway.
But this is only when a business man coincidentially meets you and has something interesting to offer. very very seldom, but i made a few great aquaintances in the past 25 years this way.
This is why i do not categorically state, "Don't talk to strangers, they are all bad"

Now, some people are not offering Real Estate or similar investments, but "services". immigration, Travel and tours, legal advise (!), medical and GOD knows what else there are for opportunity to make a buck or two.
Again, visit the office, if any, check for permits and official receipts. make sure, the Business Permit is in the category as the service offered. Not Restaurant doing Immigration.
Exemption: there are some people (Resort and Restaurants) offering Immigration Services, but as a rule of thumb - you can pay them afterwards and it is clearly visible in the lobby or behind the bar, that they do it, and not sneakily under the counter..

I guess you all are smart enough to get the point. Avoid anything conspicious as you would at home.
If you fell in a trap for an invalid service, you can not really get your money back, because the "user" of an "illegal" business is as guilty as the operator itself.
(such as in : Prostitute-Client)

i hope you got questions, because i really do not know, what i shall write here...

Intresting posts I always think why is this person offering this amazing deal to me? Why dont they carry out or finance themsleves? If I was in their postion would I let a stranger get a cut of my surefire profits?

I think Its a reaction for some folk who feel very alien when they get there and fall for somone who appears the sameas them

Well if you believe in 20% a month Ive got a bridge or two for sale

There is I notice by many people who move to a new location to think why didn't the locals think of x or y? But from experience most did and it simply didn't work! With easy international trouble global media and the internet which puts nearly all the worlds knowledge in your pc or phone its rare some one has not been made aware of a business idea used elsewher in the world.

Plenty of people who fell for scams were not newbies, not naive and pretty well 'versed' in business.
Maybe their particular problem was just putting too much trust into the hands of a charming, knowledgeable insider with plenty of financial support but who just lacked a trustworthy partner to help lighten the load.

There are only a couple of surefire business opportunities in the paradise islands.