Estafa is considered a criminal case, which means a wrongdoer can be penalized with

fines and jail time. You will need a lawyer if you feel that you are the victim of estafa.
Prior to filing the case, your lawyer will first determine if filing it is justified. They will also
assist you in gathering evidence.

The next step is the actual filing of a complaint with the Office of the City Prosecutor
(OCP) or Office of the Provincial Prosecutor (OPP) where the case was committed.Your
lawyer will present the details of the incident,includingyour evidence, personal
information, and information on the offender.

The OCP or OPP will then conduct a thorough investigation of the matter to decide if
there is substantial evidence to conclude whether or not a crime has been committed.
Note that the offender may choose to file a counter-affidavit to argue against your claim,
to whichyou may respond with a reply affidavit.

If there is sufficient ground for your case, it will then be brought to court.While there are
no guarantees as to the length of time that it will take to conclude a case,you can take
heart in the fact that criminal cases in general are being resolved significantly faster
these days since the Supreme Court’s implementation of its Revised Guidelines of
Continuous Trial in Criminal Cases in September of 2017.