Remittance firm staff foil S$180,000 ‘parcel scam’
(From left to right) Mr Li Shu, staff of Hanshan Money; Express Remittance, Ms Thng Koon Eng, Managing Director of Hanshan Money, Express Remittance; Mr Arthur Law, Commander of Central Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police and Ms Clara Ong, staff of Hanshan Money Express Remittance, who received the award on behalf of her colleagues Ms Han. Photo: Robin Choo/TODAY
SINGAPORE — Threatened with jail by a “police officer” from China over an illegal parcel that he claimed belonged to her, an 80-year-old woman went to a remittance agency and tried to transfer S$180,000 to him, telling a staff member there that the money was to buy Chinese herbs for her health.
Sensing something amiss given the large sum involved, Mr Li Shu, the employee at Hanshan Money Express Remittance, tried to probe further, but was told off for asking too many questions by a younger woman, who claimed to be the older woman’s sister.
Mr Li, 36, said that the “sister” was very anxious throughout the transaction on June 24, and pestered him about the earliest possible remittance time. Even though it could be done within one or two days, Mr Li intentionally said that it would take longer because he felt uneasy.
After they left, Mr Li, a remittance teller, contacted his supervisor, who in turn contacted the agency’s managing director, Ms Thng Koon Eng, 61.
Ms Thng then called the 80-year-old, but the “sister” was the one who answered. The victim came on the phone later to assure Ms Thng that she knows the beneficiary well and had been sending money over constantly before her “sister” interrupted the conversation and took over the phone again.
“(The ‘sister’) said, ‘There are many remittance centres in Singapore and you’re not the only one. We are patronising you, so why are you asking so many questions?’” Ms Thng recalled.
The remittance agency then alerted the police. The company also withheld the money instead of remitting it, and the victim was able to eventually get all her money back.
TODAY understands that the victim, who received the threatening call on June 17, is still shaken by the experience and that the “sister” is a 65-year-old suspect assisting the police with investigations.
For helping to prevent the scam, three employees from Hanshan Money Express Remittance, including Mr Li and Ms Thng, received plaques from the Singapore Police Force on Thursday (July 7) to commend them for their public-spiritedness.
Ms Thng said: “People in financial services can be more alert and foil more (of) such crimes. Members of the public should be aware of the prevalence of such cases and be more careful, especially with their hard-earned money.” The agency has seen a rise in scams in the past three months following a lull period, and Ms Thng said that the company monitors scamming trends through police advisories, personal experience, and information-sharing with other remittance companies.
Parcel scams involving persons posing as Singapore or foreign officials have been emerging here, with the police revealing last month that residents here have lost more than S$4 million since March to these scammers, who operate through phone calls. From March to June, more than 50 police reports were made about persons impersonating government officials.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Arthur Law said: “This case illustrates that strong police-community partnerships help to prevent, deter and detect crime. The police will continue to work closely with various stakeholders to prevent similar scam-related cases.”
