Arci Munoz may be a seasoned traveler, but that didn't seem to stop criminals from making her their latest victim in what appears to be a new M.O. on flights.
In a TikTok Video, the actress shared a warning to fellow travelers as she recalled what happened to her on her flight home to Manila coming from Japan.
Arci was just chilling as she was bound for a layover in Incheon Airport when she was awakened by the cabin crew's landing announcement.
"I was resting in my cubicle and of course, when it's time to land, siyempre nagising ako, naalimpungatan ako," Arci recalls. "May lalaking nakatayo sa cubicle ko, tapos kinukuha niya yung magazine sa cubicle ko knowing that all cubicles in the business class [section have] magazines, 'di ba?
At first, Arci didn't think much of it as she figured the gentleman was probably looking for a missing magazine. Until a woman asked her if she knew the man.
"She was like, asking me, 'Do you know that guy?' And I was like, 'No.'"
The lady confronted the man to ask why he touched Arci's bag, which was when Arci realized her bag was missing. That's when she saw it on the floor near the aisle. She was seated by the window, mind you.
When the woman and Arci called the attention of a flight attendant, the man kept denying the accusations.
"Dine-deny niya," Arci remembers. "And this guy's nakaayos. Nakaporma, nakagarbo, naka-luxury items. So I was thinking, 'Ano 'to? Modus ba nila?' Sumasakay sila ng business class, they fly, and then so at first, I didn't notice that something was missing in my bag kasi compiled lahat ng cards ko, e."
At the time, Arci said she didn't have time to formally report the incident as she only had an hour to catch her connecting flight. After two days, to her horror, she received a notification from her bank that her credit card was being used to make purchases in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, and in Jakarta, Indonesia. Thankfully, the bank acted fast to block the transactions.
"I'm doing this video to warn you na there is a dangerous world out there," Arci shared. "And you can't really be safe so you have to be alert, you have to be careful of your things, mindful of your things."
"May mga modus na sa eroplano, okay," she added. "The world is not a safe place. It's just really weird. Akala ko sa movie lang nangyayari ito."
Arci has informed the airline, which confirmed it is investigating the matter.
Addressing the airline, Arci said, "I hope to hear from you guys and I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else. Because if he did it this once, I'm sure he's gonna do this again, not until we do something about it. So please, please, I hope to hear from you. This just has to stop. Dapat wala nang mabiktima sa mga ganito."
Watch Arci's TikTok video here:
@ramonathornes HORROR STORY IN THE SKY. @Korean Air ? original sound - Arci Munoz
MORE ON ARCI MUNOZ AND OTHER MODUS OPERANDI:
Oh No, Gigi De Lana Lost Funds For Her Mom’s Medical Bills After Being Scammed
Beware Of This New *Modus Operandi* Targeting University Students
Yikes! Rocco Nacino *Almost* Got Scammed By Gabby Eigenmann’s Impostor On Telegram
