If you smell something fishy, speak up right away—or you’ll be at the mercy of criminals.
“Mark Anthony Verbo was arrested after posing as a policeman in order to extort money from vendors in Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City,” reports ABS-CBNnews.com. Police said he had fake identification cards and a .45-caliber pistol.
According to cellphone retailer Gabriel Zalun, Verbo’s extortion had gone on for weeks until he decided to complain to the police. In fact, he had introduced himself as “SPO3 Pascual” and asked Zalun to give him a cellphone or cash in exchange for “protection.”
Verbo is facing charges of illegal possession of firearms, falsification of public documents, robbery and extortion, and usurpation of authority.
