Nate met Sheila (not her real name) in 2004 by his friend Jack, who owns a gallery. Nate is the gallery director at a university in Manila was part of her family. A former flight attendant who had taken a break from work when she had married and had children, Sheila just started working at Jack Gallery.
Nate and Sheila became fast friends. She was a very simple girl, he recalls in our interview, and even when they had no experience with the art scene, Sheila has shown a knack for selling, so Jack began to trust him. Jack's industrial partner, and later general manager, is expanding its social network into the rich, all art lovers.
"When we met, or Nine West Cole Haan was already expensive for him," said Nate. "If they hang with people from the art scene and several of his former friends auxiliary flight, which began married rich, began to change all that."
He added: "Louis Vuitton, she has had a lot of them then this thing is ... Birkin was born."
Friendship Nate and Sheila have developed a business relationship. It all went very smoothly and safely. Nate would be traveling to Europe with her partner Tom and Sheila asked him to buy some designer bags to sell his "customers".
"Sometimes, she said, would be three orders Chanel, Goyard five, to be a Hermes ... I'll pay it all," says Nate. "I have money by using your tax refund, and for each case, according to the price, I would be P10, P25 to get to 000 to 000 for the cost of each carrier. I did it for almost 2 ½ years."
Sheila has done a good word about his. "I liked to do," Nate said. "With this alone, every one of my flights to Europe has already been paid. And I was also in bags. I even won points on my credit card."
And he adds quickly: "Let that it was just for fun I do me be clear I did it on the page, I do not have to travel to Europe, just to buy bags for them.."
It was time, Hermes opened its first store here that things got complicated.
Plausible proposal
Hermes Birkin was that everyone coveted bag. But even if you P500, 000 lying around, that was the estimated cost of the cheapest have Birkin in Greenbelt, the store could not be delivered by the dozens. If you want a quick, one had to look elsewhere.
"She asked me if I wanted to invest in Birkin," says Nate.
The agreement in this way: Sheila asks an investor in P450, take 000th In Europe, the cheapest cost of Birkin P400, 000 shy. They would sell the handbag to P550, 000. It was a plausible suggestion: Some women prefer to pay the additional P50, 000 (on the price tag of Manila) that travel to Europe to buy a handbag.
Of total sales accounted for would P50, 000 purchase at the carrier, the bag in Europe or elsewhere, to go P50, 000 that Sheila average person and P50, 000 to the investor. In short, an investor P450, P500 is: 000, 000 in one month, or a gain of 11 percent-an agreement to give even the biggest banks could not.
This time, Nate was a mere investor, a buyer / carrier.
"We knew that for about six times," says Nate. On the seventh time, Nate asked his nephew if he wanted to invest. The nephew said yes and, as usual, all parties began to laugh all the way to the bank.
"I've never seen the Birkin and it has me taking pictures on his phone," said Nate. It did not matter. They paid him on time. Business was good.
Then in February of this year. Nate was preparing for another trip to Europe, where Sheila called and asked if he
P2 million. It was a crocodile Birkin, she says, it would cost so much. She was sure she could sell the bag the following week. There was just a cool P200, 000
"In a Ponzi scheme, this tactic does not make you instantly rich, it saves time," Nate says partner Tom. "If I ask you to P2 million, I'll use it to temporarily well with everyone."
Looking back, Nate believes that the
P2 million check was issued to investors must pay due to them. At that time he had no idea that something was wrong.
Also, Nate turned to his nephew for P500, promised earnings of 000 P50, 000 "My nephew wanted to invest the entire P2-dollars, but well, I told him no."
Sheila met Nate a few days later, on 13 February at a friend's house, where she presented the check to the investment and profit, of 17 February.
"She looked different," said Nate afterwards. "She had no makeup, no jewelry. She looked thin and ill. I did not know then that his financial troubles were already gathered."
15th February, a Wednesday, as Sheila to tell Nate, she was not able to check the buyer's Birkin (the check is issued to finance Nate) deposit. "Monday came and she called back early to say, the buyers check bounced, as they deposit the funds into my account this afternoon. I kept calling the bank every day I was in Europe, leaving the next day and nothing. I had already a check to my nephew on 23 February issued. I did not want to back off was on its feet, especially since I. I decided to recover the check, and my nephew just paid cash. I did not want to hassle with my family. "
Crumbling Pyramid
On their way to the airport, Tom finally Nate said: "You can not see, the pyramid collapses?"
Tom says he always had doubts about the relations of Sheila, but he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He thought it was too good to be true, but he had no reason to doubt her, she was a good friend Nate. And by then it was always sold.
Driven by his gut feeling was right. "If you make so much money out of nothing can, why should other people in it?" Said Tom rhetoric. "They would just keep it to themselves, the fact that they are extracting money from people for nothing, it must be good, all right."
Sheila has not been seen or heard of since February. Nate and friends believe she is hiding somewhere in the United States. When things are down, it seemed that the woman has many people fooled including his own closest friends and Nate. The others lost huge amounts that have made the P550, 000 lost Nate seem to change.
"It's funny because we had regular dinner and no one talked about her relationship with Sheila," Nate said with irony. "It seemed like a good deal that everyone wanted to keep it secret ...
"Sheila was a time to the woman manager of an artist to P5 million question," Nate said. "His favorite line is" Wali-magwalis Diyan ka baka Naman May mahanap Kang P5 million. "When the manager told her she had no money and ask instead of our friend Jane, Sheila said, could do as when Jane was only to receive an allowance from his wealthy husband. In truth, she had already received millions of Jane P13!
"When it was suggested that they come to me, instead, she told the person that we can not close. I'm the godfather of his son!"
Social Butterfly
Nate thinks Sheila fled with more than P500 million other people on the claims of those who participated is based. "We can not really say how. More victims come out every day."
(Nate, Tom and Celina, another victim, told Inquirer on condition of anonymity pending the filing of a complaint against Sheila. Other alleged victims declined our interview requests.)
Nate saw the transformation of Sheila simple girl he met eight years ago at a social butterfly Birkin-toting.
On his last birthday in April, Sheila had a salon in Makati closed for private party. She was replaced by posters on the walls of the model with his own portraits, and has hired a top caterer. Show after the game, they and their guests to a five-star hotel, where she hosted the dinner and after dinner cocktails taken.
Nate ever wondered what Sheila has managed to maintain his lifestyle, he has just done his business Birkin was very good.
Sheila's husband Jake works for an elder statesman of high caliber and wearing designer suits.
"Hermes, Louis Vuitton," said Tom. "He never wore a Hugo Boss, because he said he was under him, and that's what he told people." Jake's shoe closet more than 200 pairs of designer labels, Prada, Dior, Gucci, was even featured in a shoe blog, says Nate.
In a year of art last show, the young son of Sheila has a random painting and said he loved her. The mother did not strumming to P75, 000 hesitation in painting, Nate said.
Of how the couple's lavish lifestyle kept, says Tom, "I told Nate that this is one of two things. It was either Sheila business was so good, or her husband was really damaged"
Nate even went to a store with the Greenbelt 4 Sheila and her husband. Jake paid cash purchases. When Nate why he did not use a credit card because it had a large amount asked Jake joked that it was better that way because it meant no paper trail.
Not only Birkin
Sheila regime proved to be not only to Birkin. "For others, it would be painting," said Tom, who also owns an art gallery. "It shows a photo of a painting on his cell phone. They say 10 is Anita Magsaysay-Ho! Even a Monet: how they can get a Monet! All these people believed different approaches for different people. Alahas MOH, watches. Very creative.
"There are many sad stories. She received money from someone who had chemotherapy. Someone's house I was excluded, because they have invested their savings with Sheila. You got the money to the owner of his son's school, the PTA. Course how they could not trust? She brought the whole class of his son in Ocean Park, complete with lunch! "
Although no cases have been filed yet against Sheila, is the irony that one of his old friends will be airlines, Celina, from an investor who sued lost P7 million. Celina's son Jake was asked to sign a sworn statement, Sheila and her mother were not "business partner", ergo no wick, as alleged in the complaint issue, but Jake refuses.
Celina was the first airline in the Sheila worked. The older woman was a sponsor at the wedding of Sheila.
"I had no reason to doubt her," Celina said in a telephone interview with the Inquirer. "She had no history, dishonest."
Distressed is for the crime of Sheila, Celina, followed laments his situation. "I really want to run behind, but I can not even do that because I can not afford a lawyer, they did away with all my money!" She lost P11 million of his own money to his old friend.
No haggling
A fashion designer, who requested anonymity, described Sheila as a good customer for about five years. She had never expected, he said. At one point, she pays him with a painting, she claimed that she owned a gallery.
Says the designer: "young, rich and successful, the package was": "There was always something new to his luggage was always the last ..."
Nate was also found that Sheila has never sold these Chanel and Celine, he buys for them in Europe, they used to. "She never wore it only when we were together. But they said our friends, they were gifts from me wonder if someone had a birthday, they laughed at me, pa-ka Chanel Naman."
Sheila disappeared a week ago, Nate learned she held a garage sale, apparently to compensate for its other debts.
"She had 40 pairs of Tory Burch flats. If they wanted something, she bought it in every color. Celine bags that are so popular today, they had 12 of them as exotic leather."
My friend, Amy, Sheila was closest, was not spared. She offered to sell croc Birkin, Amy, and trusted friend said yes. Sheila has not sold the bag, it does promise. "It's a good thing Amy knew the person that they have pledged to. Amy bought their own pockets," said Nate.
Lavish lifestyle
It was not the only time, Sheila tried to pull a fast on her best friend. They sold a 3-carat diamond ring on Amy, had a theme so dear to the self-made entrepreneur TI it a safe built just for him.
But at a party, a jeweler friend noticed that the rock was a fake. Sheila shrugged this option, saying that the stone may have been committed by the person it must be replaced for cleaning. She offered to reimburse Amy, just like that. The intimate friend was appeased.
People like Sheila was quite expensive over the years as a holiday in Bangkok last year with Nate, Tom and her friends, she refused to join them in exchange for the city of caves. Instead, she stayed at the hotel for wellness treatments, and only bought in upscale malls.
Sheila Twitter account is public, but has not been updated since she disappeared, also provides an overview of his lavish lifestyle. Common themes in his exchange with friends were Tweet designer clothes, bags, shoes and jewelry. (His Facebook account has been deleted.)
Investors and creditors had cleared the house of Sheila furniture and works of art, says Nate, the same house she claimed that she owned and was restored to P2 million. "We were there for the blessing. It turns out, they would only rent."
His family has since left the apartment, according to Nate.
"You just had to do with friends!" Says Tom. "You have thought they would not be friends if they do not have the same things they did."
Even in his anger, there is a tinge of sadness in the voice of Nate on friendship and trust, now in ruins. "She was really nice," he admits. "We never knew it would be fraud."
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