Many parents fear that predators are using social networks to reach out to their children. One woman’s recent Facebook post seems to have confirmed that belief.
A woman named Grace Reyes wrote a post on her Facebook account yesterday warning parents about a woman who allegedly offers free iPhones to female students.
However, Reyes believes that the Facebook user, who uses the name “Aragon Mia,” is a fake account being used by predatory individuals to take photos of young girls. Her post has gone viral and has been shared more than 6,500 times.
In a phone interview with Coconuts Manila, Reyes said that “Aragon Mia” was the one who added her daughter on Facebook.
“My daughter added her on Facebook because they have common friends from school. She introduced herself as a Canada-based woman who gives iPhones to students so that these gadgets could help them with their studies,” Reyes told us.
Yesterday, Aragon told Reyes’ daughter that she wanted to speak with her via a Facebook call. “My daughter told me that Aragon was going to call her to discuss if she qualifies for a free iPhone. I told my daughter that I don’t know who Aragon is so I’m going to monitor the call,” Reyes said.
Reyes listened in on the call from her own smartphone while her daughter used her own gadget. Reyes took the call outside her daughter’s room, while her daughter stayed in. During the call, Reyes became suspicious when she noticed that her daughter was not speaking at all.
When she checked the messages being sent by Aragon, Reyes saw that Aragon sent a message asking her daughter to step back so she could see her on camera, allegedly so she could measure the girl’s shoulders. Aragon also allegedly sent a message asking the girl to pull up her shirt.
Reyes said that her daughter didn’t get to see Aragon’s face during the conversation because the camera was pointed to a wall.
Below is a screenshot of the messages her daughter allegedly received.
Reyes rushed inside her daughter’s room to stop the girl from showing her body. “When I saw the messages, I told my daughter, ‘Stop it, stop it! That’s not true!'” Reyes said.
She then told Aragon that she was the girl’s mother and asked her why she needed to measure her daughter’s shoulders.
“She suddenly blocked me. She didn’t even answer back,” Reyes recalled.
After her post went viral, some people, allegedly victims of the fake Aragon, reached out to Reyes and said that Aragon took their photos. Another woman said that the fake Aragon allegedly stole the photos of her sister, whose last name is also Aragon.
Reyes went to the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City today to file a formal complaint against the fake account. However, Reyes said she wasn’t allowed to do so by the authorities because the alleged predator didn’t manage to take a photo of her daughter naked.
“They told me that I can’t file a case because my child is not a victim. The only one who can file a case is someone who appeared naked. There’s nothing that the police can do. That’s why I’m now encouraging the victims to speak up.”
Naturally, netizens were shocked by what Aragon wrote. One said it was sick.
Nyrie Ramos wrote: “That’s scary. There’s nothing free in this world. Everything comes at a price.”
Ashley Dantes wrote: “We live in such scary times.”
In light of the incident, Reyes advises parents to keep tabs on their kids’ use of Facebook to keep them safe from dubious characters.
“They should spend more time with them. Even if they’re busy they should monitor their use of social media,” she said.
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