Woman Forges Vet Bill To Crowdfund Donations For Abandoned Cat
Social media is widely used these days to crowdfund certain causes or charities. Sometimes, however, individuals might take advantage of it to scam others.
Recently, a Facebook post on the Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats Facebook group informed members about a woman who forged a vet bill to receive donations for a stray cat.
The woman, who goes by the pseudonym Nora Nur, claimed she required money for an abandoned cat who needed immediate surgery.
However, the vet mentioned there were some discrepancies that raised concerns about the receipt’s authenticity.
A police report was made on Tuesday (16 Nov) and the lady has since been arrested.
Woman shares vet bill and crowdfunds for cat
On Wednesday (17 Nov), the police shared that the lady was arrested after she allegedly forged a vet bill for an abandoned cat to get donations.
Her ploy was first discovered by a member of the Facebook group, Saying Our Singapore’s Community Cats.
Nora had posted on Facebook about an abandoned cat named Gogi who required surgery as it suffered from Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).
Additionally, Nora said Gogi was suffering from other medical conditions and had to be treated immediately. Nora had estimated the bills to be about $7,000.
Nora claimed she did not have much savings and was hence reaching out to the public for donations. She also posted the vet receipt to authenticate her claims.
Suspicions raised about claims made
After seeing the post, the OP decided to contact the clinic, Frankel Veterinary Centre, to verify the claims.
However, the clinic told her there were several discrepancies in the receipt. They suspected that it could be a fraudulent attempt to enlist services that were not performed by the clinic.
After getting confronted, Nora explained that Gogi was real but was actually in Vietnam. She had started the fundraising efforts when her friend asked her for assistance.
She also admitted that the Singapore vet bill was fake. Nora has since apologised and offered refunds to the donors.
Due to the multiple discrepancies in Nora’s statement, the OP decided to lodge a police report.
Woman arrested for forging vet bill
The police confirmed that they received a report on Tuesday (16 Nov) claiming a 20-year-old woman was soliciting donations via social media to treat a stray cat.
They found that there was purportedly no such cat undergoing treatment.
Preliminary investigations revealed that around 60 people have made donations.
Another 20-year-old man is also assisting with ongoing investigations.
If found guilty of cheating, the lady could face up to 10 years’ jail, a fine, or both.
Be alert for scams
Although there was a cat that required medical funds for its surgery, cheating donors is never right.
We’re glad the police got to the truth and acted fast to arrest the lady behind the Facebook account.
The next time you see such crowdfunding online, do remember to ensure it is authentic before donating.
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Featured image adapted from Lee Siew Yian on Facebook.
