SINGAPORE, Sept 23 — A 78-year-old man has lost S$67,500 (RM220,000) after being duped by a caller posing as a teacher from Singapore’s elite Hwa Chong Institution into placing a bulk order for 200 mattresses, Shin Min Daily News reported today.
The victim, identified only as Huang, said he was contacted on September 18 by a man claiming to be “Teacher Chen”, who even recited details of Huang’s school enrolment to gain his trust.
“He asked for my licence plate number, and also shared details of how I enrolled in the school, which made me lower my guard,” Huang said.
The scammer claimed the school urgently needed mattresses and persuaded Huang to transfer payments to a supposed supplier in Malaysia.
To reassure him, the caller sent a fake screenshot of a S$96,000 bank transfer.
Huang eventually made several payments, only realising he had been tricked when his daughter flagged a fake invoice and the scammers deleted their messages.
Hwa Chong has warned of similar impersonation scams since last year and urged the public to verify any suspicious requests directly with the school.
Police confirmed a report has been filed and investigations are ongoing.
This comes as Singapore police arrested five suspects in a fake bulk-order ruse.
Among them was a 28-year-old man accused of selling his Singpass credentials, while two others allegedly helped register mobile lines later used to place fraudulent orders in the name of the Singapore Armed Forces.
In Singapore, offenders who knowingly provide fraudulently registered SIM cards face up to three years in jail, a S$10,000 fine, or both.
