It was a rainy afternoon in SM Megamall sometime in late 2003. I was walking with a friend when two sharply dressed individuals approached us with warm smiles and an even warmer offer: listen to a short presentation and walk away with an umbrella, a bag, and a wall clock.
At that moment, the umbrella alone looked like heavensent in this foul weather.
I had somewhere to be, Robinsons Place Manila by 7pm, and it was already 5. Logically, this should have ended with a polite “no.” But persistence is a powerful sales tool, and unfortunately, curiosity is an even stronger weakness. My friend was convinced in seconds. I lasted slightly longer, but not long enough.
We were escorted into what I thought would be a quick talk. That “quick talk” turned into an hour-long seminar I never signed up for.
The office belonged to Family First, a pre-need company I had heard about before. Back when I worked at PhilWeb in The Enterprise Tower, I would occasionally hear stories about how they operated. A notable part of the scheme is that new clients receive loud applause like celebrities for signing up. I found it amusing at the time.
It became less amusing when I was sitting inside the room.
The setup was impressive in a very specific way: rows of tables, neatly dressed agents, and people who looked like they originally came to shop but accidentally enrolled in a life seminar. Every now and then, someone would stand up and exclaim “congratulations, Mr and Mrs delos Santos!”, and the entire room would erupt in applause.
I remember thinking, “I also want recognition, but not like this.”
Then came my assigned agent. Friendly, engaging, and suddenly very interested in my life story. When I mentioned I had a credit card and worked abroad, I swear I saw a spark in his eyes, like he just found Wi-Fi in the middle of the desert.
I tried to exit early.
“Sorry, this isn’t part of my plan. Can I go now?”
“Just a few more minutes.”
I would have easily barged out without any regard for personal integrity, but patience won over me.
Time passed. My attention drifted. Somewhere in the background, more applause. I was now part audience, part hostage, part confused mall-goer who just wanted to buy something and leave.
When I finally checked the time, it was already past 7:30pm. I had officially missed my appointment. My phone had no signal which felt either like bad luck or excellent planning on their part.
Eventually, I got out without signing anything. I did receive a bag, though. At that point, it felt less like a freebie and more like an underwhelming compensation for lost time and cancelled appointment.
The story could have ended there, and leave it as just another strange mall experience.
But it didn’t.
A friend later shared that she went through something similar and ended up signing documents and losing P20,000. Not because she wanted the product, but because she wanted to get out. That’s when it stopped being funny.
That’s when it became a lesson.
Nothing is truly free. If someone offers you three items for “just listening,” you are probably the item being evaluated.
The longer you stay, the harder it is to leave. Time is part of the strategy you should easily detect at the beginning before you become a hostage of their agenda.
Personal questions are not friendly conversation. Why would they be asking you about your career timeline when you only met just twenty minutes ago? These questions are financial profiling in disguise.
Applause is not validation. It is a play designed to distract your reality into a fantasy trying to justify that you are in a good place.
If you feel pressured in any potential engagement in the future, that is your cue—not to think hard, but to leave quickly. Others might have mastered the art of evasion, that careers in sidewalk leaflet distribution or mall sidewalk sales conversion requires higher qualification to become effective. People have purposely chose the other lane or look away from folks who peddle credit card sign ups, charity fundraising activities or uniformed students sharing adhesive tokens in exchange of loose change.
Practical mall survival tips
A trip to the mall for whatever reason — people watching, seek cool refuge from punishing outdoor heat or buying socks — is no longer a cakewalk. A wrong decision can lead to unwanted spending or wasted time. So these tips can help you navigate as a shopping mall’s captive audience.
- A firm “no” is more useful than an accommodating smile. No emotional connection has been established yet so taking a polite decline does not leave you feeling guilty.
- Do not share financial details casually, especially in a shopping mall without the intention to sign up for credit cards, reward programs or get rich quick offers.
- If a firm no fails, prepare an exit plan. Your phone becomes your best friend. Feign a phone call, low-battery signal or an Uber driver arriving. Act like a lost tourist and seek direction towards a landmark and thank them as you go. Or point on your watch saying your parking meter expires in two minutes.
Looking back, I can laugh at parts of the experience but I also recognize how easily it could have gone differently. Not all scams (or at least time-wasters) feel like scams. Many of them feel organized, professional, and oddly convincing.
And sometimes, all it takes is an umbrella to get you into their trap.
I was nearly a victim! I got the bags and walk away without signing. Naubos lang ang oras ko.Sana SM , etc must be strict as to whom to do business inside, may hodl-up pan pala inside!
This is a story of my friend which happened last November 20, 2008. She asked me to spread it to all the people I know….I am a mall rat who frequents SM North EDSA, but never have I experienced anything like this nor have I expected to be a victim of this vicious scam. As in sobrang nakapanlulumo. Imagine I lost Php 9,500.00 in an instant!! I never realized that I will be a victim until that fateful day.I just got from my office and passed by SM North Edsa, I even spent an hour to stroll, at my watch it was a little past 8pm. I decided to pass by the Basement so I can go through SM Department Store. Suddenly a gay clad in formal attire bumped into me and started asking if I already have a credit card, I said “merun na”, because I was in a hurry and doesn’t want to entertain such people. But to my surprise this gay grabbed my hand and said “sandali lang to mam, may libre po kayong gift sa akin”. I reiterated to him that I was in a hurry but he didn’t listen. Despite my plea, he still insisted and even showed me the tumbler or clock that I could receive. Then this gay asked me to sign a form which he said will entitle me to play a raffle, sort of a slot machine. He started asking me questions like: where do I work? And acted like he was some kind of a friend “feeling close”. But I knew at the back of my mind that it was just a strategy. After filling up the form, he told me that I’ll be playing the slot machine upstairs, with hesitation I just agreed because this gay was so persistent. So we went upstairs, and he led me at the 4th Floor, and there I read the sign “Family First”. I went inside their office, then the snoot receptionist confirmed if I have agreed to finish the Presentation that will take 45 mins. At this point, I was starting to get annoyed and told her that it’s too long. I was about to back out, when another girl made a plea on me to stay. As I was waiting for my turn for their so called presentation, (I even thought it was some kind of an AVP), the gay even offered me iced tea and water, but I refused it. Thank God I refused it, they might have stirred it up with sum kind of sleeping or hypnotizing drug. After 10 mins, a reputable looking girl in her late twenties came out and shook my hand and introduced herself as Cheli. This Cheli girl seated me inside the office, that’s the time I had an idea that the presentation was a one on one thing. Cheli was good in communication and she started asking me a lot of things, which at first I hesitated to answer. She even used a paper as props where she writes everything we discussed upside down so I can easily read it. She asked about my plans for the future and more..Her discussion took an hour. After her explanation told me that in order for me to activate my savings account I need Php 9,500.00 as Initial premium. Then she told me that they will have to check first with the bank if I am allowed to borrow that sum of money. I thought that they will be calling the bank and make some checking. At this point they asked for my Credit Card, and I didn’t know that they will immediately swipe it. Lo and behold! My Php9,500.00 was gone! The girl asked me to wait for the printing of my policy. Whew I got an insurance policy in an hour? OMG!! There I was shocked, dumbfounded and speechless! I was victim of a persuasive syndicate that coerced me to sign something against my will. After handing me the policy I asked Cheli if I will be able to get my P9,500.00 after 1 year, she said yes. But after reading the policy at home, I realized that I will just be getting a fraction of my money after I pay the subsequent premium for 1 year.. so that’s totally BS!(Bullshit!).. Now, I want to throw at their faces the tumbler they gave me… This is not fair, as in na 1-2-3 ako ng ganun ganun lang. I went at SM just to buy something.. and what did it cost me? My Php 9,500.00? I know it was partly my fault because I entertained such people, because I don’t want to be rude. Now I’ve learned my lesson! Abuloy ko na lang ang Php 9,500.00 sa kanila.. As of now I have no choice but to accept the fact that I was shamelessly victimized by this Scam.. I also checked it out in the net, it’s certified that a lot of people have been victimized. I don’t want to judge those who work under this company, I know you just want to earn a living for your family. But what you are doing doesn’t make you a respectable sales or marketing person. Nanloloko kayo or your taking advantage of people’s innocence.That is why I am informing everyone of this.Maging maingat po tayong lahat. Don’t give out informations easily. Wag po kayo basta basta mgtitiwala kahit kanino, kahit na po nakikita pa natin sa mga SM Malls ang mga ito. I’ve realized that even management of Henry Sy can’t do anything to stop this scammers. Please let other know about this.. Spread this to all people you know, especially those who go to SM Malls. If you ever encounter this names: DANVIL, FAMILY FIRST, PHILIPPINE PRUDENTIAL LIFE, BERKELEY…Stay away from them!!! They’ve been changing names after names. Ang Insurance po ay pinagiisipan at di kinukuha ng isang oras lang.. dahil po ito ay galing sa ating pinaghirapan… SALAMAT sa PAGPAPAKALAT!!!
I was a victim of Family First Insurance company in SM Pampangga last January 29, 2009. I was shock na eto na nangyayari sa bansa natin. I cant imagine na nag eexist ito in a descent mall particularly SM Pampanga. Imagine a lost 16,800 pesos in a less than 1 hour transaction. Para sa lahat po ng OFW mag ingat po kayo sa ganitong klaseng scam. I noticed na ang target nila ngayon is OFW. They will hypnotized u. Be aware po sa ating mga credit card and ATM. If somebody asked for it dont give details. Eto po ay nag eexist along all branches ng SM Department Store. Sila po ung mga holdaper in a corporate attire.To SM Management please do something about this scam about Family First Prudential life Insurance Company. Many people will be a victim specialy OFW.