An alleged scammer in the name of Mikaela Veronica Cabrera was arrested Friday, February 3, 2023, in Taguig City, according to a report by Inquirer.
Similar to the real-life story of Anna Delvey, a con artist who posed as a wealthy heiress in New York which inspired the Netflix series Inventing Anna, Cabrera has allegedly tricked people into giving her millions of pesos to finance her fashion company. Most of the victims are men whom she met online and deceives into doling out funds by sharing a sob story about her dying business.
The Inquirer report reveals that her scheme was uncovered while a real estate agent she had been dealing with received a payment from Cabrera which ended up being a bounced check.
The bank involved thus reported that Cabrera’s said account was in fact closed. This prompted the agent’s client, who was supposed to be Cabrera’s lessor, to investigate and do a deeper background check, leading them to discover the Facebook account Mikaela Veronica Sese Cabrera A Scammer, operated by an alleged victim.
This victim revealed that Cabrera owed him P10-million and owed another victim he knows P6-million. The investigation led the agent to work with authorities who were able to set up Cabrera with a “potential client” in a scheme to arrest her under Batas Pambansa Blg. 2 or the “Anti-Bouncing Check Law.” She is now detained in Taguig City Police’s substation.
Cabrera is the lead stylist and founder of AUMA Fashion Styling Firm, which seems to have launched in late 2019 based on active social media content and press coverage. The business is presented as a one-stop-shop for styling needs, be it curating one’s personal wardrobe, dressing up for events, or staging photoshoots, with the ultimate goal of empowering its clients through fashion.
“More than that though, at AUMA, we strive to empower individuals, women and men alike. We want to spread the message that the way we present ourselves to the world has an effect on our personal well-being. Fashion is not superficial and is also not a scary place to dip your toes into,” Cabrera shares in an introductory video.
The brand’s Instagram account is private and the official website is defunct. According to a previous blog post about the company’s launch, Cabrera graduated from fashion school and started her career as a stylist, eventually creating her own clothing line which has evolved into her controversial styling business.
AUMA emphasizes its purpose of helping clients learn about their style personas through honesty and confidence. “Staying true to your authentic self brings out your style personality. Your style does not define you but it is your true self that defines your authentic style persona,” Cabrera says in the introductory video.
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