CONFESSIONS Of A Filipina SCAMMER / (Lies And Deceptions)

Pea interviews April, a 23-year-old admitted online scammer who targets foreign men on dating apps, getting her to walk through her exact methods, target selection, earnings, and emotional manipulation tactics. The interview provides a rare firsthand look at how romance scams operate in the Philippines, confirming much of the advice Pea has given her audience in previous videos. Pea follows up with her own commentary on why she considers scamming worse than sex work.

What's Covered ​

• April's background and situation

  • 23 years old, third-year college dropout (stopped to care for her baby)
  • Lives with her boyfriend and baby girl
  • Her boyfriend does not know she scams men online
  • Her parents also don't know what she does
  • She hides her earnings in her closet, pulling out bills slowly so her boyfriend doesn't get suspicious

• How she finds and approaches targets

  • Downloads dating apps and specifically seeks out foreigners
  • Chats with at least 10 different men per week
  • Targets men from the US, Dubai, India, and European countries
  • Specifically goes after men aged 50-60 because "they are the one who is easily to get" — she finds older, divorced, single men the most gullible
  • Avoids men aged 18-25 because young men won't send money
  • Immediately moves on from any man who says upfront "I don't send money to anyone"

• Her scamming playbook

  • Portrays herself as a single woman looking for a relationship (hides that she has a boyfriend)
  • Waits about one week of chatting before asking for money
  • Asks once or twice per prospect — if one gives, she pauses on him and targets a different guy
  • First go-to excuse: broken phone (confirmed this is extremely common among scammers)
  • Other excuses: bills (rent, electricity), food, baby milk, personal "needs" (beauty products, makeup), allowance
  • Starts with small amounts (around ₱2,000 / ~$40 US) and escalates — snowball approach
  • Has not yet tried the "I need money for a visa to visit you" scam or the "I'm separated and need an annulment" scam, but is aware of them
  • Tells men "I love you" and "I miss you" to keep them emotionally hooked — pretends to be their girlfriend

• Her earnings and why she won't stop

  • Biggest single payout: ₱10,000 (~$200 US) from one guy in one transaction
  • Most guys send smaller amounts, like ₱100
  • Average monthly earnings: around ₱20,000 (~$400 US) from 4-5 guys who actually send money
  • Pea points out this is significantly more than laborers earn sweating under the sun for 8 hours a day
  • When asked why she would stop, April flatly says she wouldn't — why take a real job that pays less and requires permits, clearances, and fees?

• How she feels about it

  • Says she feels bad and guilty after telling men she loves them
  • But also feels happy when she successfully gets their attention and money
  • Justifies it because "there's no job here" — getting a legitimate job requires permits, clearances, upfront fees, and a long wait before the first paycheck

• What would happen if she fell for a target

  • Says she might pursue a real relationship with one of the men she's scamming
  • But she would hide the fact that she was originally scamming him, to avoid suspicion

• April's advice on how to spot a scammer

  • If money is always part of the conversation, that's the red flag
  • Scammers keep insisting on financial problems to build sympathy and trust
  • They slowly earn your trust, and that's when they make the money ask
  • Her advice to men: don't trust right away, get to know the person, and demand proof before believing any sob stories

• Pea's commentary and takeaways

  • Confirms that April's interview validates what Pea has always told her audience: the single best defense is telling women upfront that you will not send money to someone you've never met — this sends scammers running immediately
  • Acknowledges it might sound harsh, but if you do it early, the woman won't take it personally because she doesn't know you yet — and all Filipinos are aware that foreign men are constantly targeted
  • If a woman is offended by that boundary, that itself is a red flag
  • Pea says she has more of a problem with scammers than with call girls/freelancers, because scamming involves deception and emotional manipulation — with a call girl, at least you get what you pay for and both parties hold up their end of the deal
  • Scammers consider what they do to be a legitimate "job" and view the money as earned, even though it's theft by deception
  • All it takes is a cell phone and a false smile to out-earn honest workers

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