The Sedap restaurant in Novena, which sells Malaysian rice dish nasi lemak, said that a man identifying as “Luke Wong” from Bedok Army Camp contacted it on Sep. 8 and placed an order of 150 portions along with 150 water bottles the next day.
The order was at SGD1,600 (US$1,248.06) after discount, owner Chee Hang Joon told The Straits Times.
“I gave them a discount because they are from the army and I wanted to create a good relationship,”
Wong sounded like a “young and earnest guy” and was convincing, Chee said.
The fraudster refused to pay upfront. When Chee requested an advance payment, Wong claimed it was a last-minute order and “the government department” could not process payment promptly.
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An employee works in Sedap restaurant in Singapore. Photo courtesy of the restaurant |
Wong failed to appear at lunchtime to collect the order, and despite Chee making at least four calls to the provided mobile number, there was no response.
Prior to that, Wong had been responsive on WhatsApp and even requested photos of the nasi lemak being packed to show to his “boss.”
Chee subsequently filed a police report. Thanks to a large number of customers arriving at the restaurant that day, he was able to sell all unclaimed orders without losses.
Yi Jia Bakery on Thomson Road experienced a similar scam. The 62-year-old owner, who wished to be identified only as Mdm Low, told The Straits Times she received a call on the morning of Sep. 11 from a man named “Gordon” claiming to be from Bedok Army Camp.
He placed an urgent order for SGD1,500 worth of pastries for 150 people, intended for an event the next day, with a planned pick-up time of 6 p.m. on Sep. 12. Despite being informed the bakery produces non-Halal items, Gordon proceeded with the order.
When Low asked for payment, Gordon said army staff had left for the day and that payment would be made the next morning.
He later contacted the bakery from another number, saying his phone was broken. On the morning of Sep. 12, a different man claiming to be Gordon’s colleague followed up, mentioning a supplier for ready-to-eat meals and requesting Low to contact that supplier – she refused.
Low warned she would call the police if payment was not made. Around 4 p.m. on Sep. 12, just two hours before the agreed pick-up, most of the second man’s messages had been deleted, and Low lost contact .
She said she had never encountered such a situation before. Although she usually enforces full advance payment, she found the “army officer” sincere and wanted to build a good relationship with what she believed was a reputable customer.
She ended up donating most of the unclaimed goods to the food bank Food from the Heart and described the incident as “a lesson well-learnt.”
In a similar event, Kiki Florist shared in a blog post on its website that it faced losses exceeding SGD1,000 after preparing flowers for what appeared to be a fake bulk order on Sep. 8, which was never collected, according to Channel News Asia.
A man placed an order for 150 small bouquets along with four extra-large ones to be ready within 48 hours, claiming the order was a “corporate order from the government” and that he was from Bedok Army Camp.
On Sep. 14, the Ministry of Defence warned the public of fraudulent bulk orders by individuals impersonating Singapore Armed Forces personnel.
In a Facebook post, the Ministry stated it was aware of seven such cases, none involving actual SAF personnel, and that police reports had been filed.
