A young woman stood her ground against a suspected scammer after the man allegedly tried to deceive her during the supposed purchase of a cell phone at a hospital in Santiago de Cuba. Ruth Arianna Camejo shared her ordeal on social media, posting a video of the confrontation that took place outside the Orlando Pantoja Tamayo General Hospital in Contramaestre last Saturday. She accused the man of attempting to steal a mobile phone during the transaction they had agreed upon.
"I make this public to prevent others from experiencing what I went through today. I went to Orlando Pantoja Tamayo Hospital to sell a Samsung phone, which is not worth much. Everyone who knows me knows they can come to my house for things without any issues, but this person claimed to be a doctor," Camejo wrote in the Facebook group REVOLICO (Tercer Frente Oriental).
The young woman explained that the man had previously contacted her boyfriend to arrange the purchase, but since he was traveling to Havana, she took charge of the deal. "I saw him in person, and he led me to a small room in the back where ultrasounds are done," she recounted. "He said the phone was for his daughter’s 15th birthday and that we needed to wait for a friend to check it because he didn't know anything about it."
According to her account, the supposed buyer asked for the charger to test the phone, and she handed it over. "That was the mistake that led to this problem. The man left with the phone through the back and never returned with it," she narrated.
"I immediately went into a panic and started searching for him. The man was already heading towards the carriage stand, very calmly, so I ran after him, confronting him because I was within my rights since he never returned my phone," she claimed.
Camejo added that they both went up to the hospital's emergency room, where the phone was found charging in the ultrasound waiting area. "He returned the phone, but the theft was supposed to be between two people; while one left, another would come and take it, but that didn't happen," she asserted, convinced of the scam's modus operandi.
The young woman described the individual as "a short, dark-skinned man, medium height, with short curly hair, around 27 years old," wearing a blue jacket and a face mask. "Throughout the entire altercation, he refused to remove his sunglasses and mask. I asked around, and no one knows him as a doctor," she stated.
Though she managed to retrieve her phone, she admitted to having a "bad experience." "Don't go alone to make deals, and don't hand anything over to anyone to avoid going through what I did," she cautioned.
She reported that the man later called her from a private number, threatening to accuse her of wrongdoing, which she documented with screenshots shared in her post. "Accuse me of what? Demanding my phone back after he left without facing me? Many people at the hospital witnessed everything and know what happened; it wasn't a lie," Camejo insisted.
The young woman successfully thwarted what appears to be a new scheme to scam individuals arranging sales with supposed buyers through social media or phone calls. Scams have surged in recent years in Cuba, with perpetrators devising clever ways to gain trust and swindle victims, especially by exploiting the increasing use of digital platforms.
Understanding Scams in Cuba
What tactics do scammers use in Cuba?
Scammers in Cuba often use clever schemes to gain the trust of their victims, frequently taking advantage of digital platforms to orchestrate their frauds.
How can individuals protect themselves from scams when selling items?
To avoid scams, it is advisable not to go alone for transactions, avoid handing over items before ensuring the buyer's credibility, and choose safe and public locations for meetings.