MINDEF cautions against bulk orders made by individuals claiming to be SAF personnel
A bakery in Upper Thomson Road and a nasi lemak eatery in Novena are also victims.
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a Facebook post on Sunday (14 Sept) that it is aware of seven cases and has made police reports about them.
Source: Ministry of Defence, Singapore (MINDEF) on Facebook
No evidence that bulk orders made by SAF personnel
SAF takes “a serious view” of such cases, MINDEF said.
It reiterated its position made in a Facebook post on 10 Sept.
MINDEF added that it has “not found any evidence that these individuals are affiliated with the SAF”.
The ministry urged the public and businesses to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to the police.
It also cited a police advisory issued on 28 July that warned about fake bulk order scams.
The release advised businesses to independently verify the identity of whoever they are corresponding with, as a mandatory step in their business processes.
They should also avoid making payments or deposits in advance to new suppliers.
Upper Thomson bakery also received bulk order from ‘SAF personnel’
One more business that has reportedly fallen victim is Yi Jia Bakery House Cafe.
The bakery came forward to tell its story on Sunday (14 Sept).
Source: Google Maps
The bakery along Upper Thomson Road told 8world News that it had received a call at 12 noon on Thursday (11 Sept), from a man claiming to be from “Bedok Camp”.
He mentioned that they were hosting a welcome event for new recruits, but their original supplier was unable to deliver.
Thus, they urgently requested S$1,500 worth of baked goods for 120 to 150 people.
The man also said he would arrange to pick them up by 6pm the next day.
The bakery asked for full payment upfront.
At 4pm, the man said that his staff had already finished work.
He added that he would apply for the funds the next morning.
He then used a different number to continue the conversation, claiming his phone was spoilt.
2 men communicate with bakery using 3 different numbers
The next day, a different man contacted the bakery, claiming to be a colleague of the first man.
But his voice sounded strange, with unclear pronunciation, as though he was using a voice changer.
The two men called the bakery using three different numbers to confirm the order details, communicating via voice call.
According to the audio recordings heard by 8world reporters, the first man had a thick Malaysian Chinese accent and spoke amid a noisy background.
He continued to make adjustments to the order, for example, saying he wanted more of a certain item and claiming he had fewer recruits.
Source: 8world News
He also claimed several times that he had to attend meetings and would discuss with his “boss” about the order amount.
Bakery ghosted after pressing for payment
On the day of collection, the second man claimed the first man was busy.
He asked the bakery to record a video as proof that the goods were ready before he could apply for funds from his superiors.
The man also repeatedly asked for the contact information of their supplier and their pricing.
He said the camp was looking for a new supplier of ready-to-eat meals.
The bakery owner found this unreasonable and finally threatened to call the police if they did not pay up and collect the goods.
At about 4pm on collection day, the other party eventually deleted most of the conversation after being pressed for payment repeatedly.
Bakery lost about S$900
Bakery owner Luo Qiufeng (transliterated from Mandarin), 62, said she was “really angry” at herself for trusting the men.
The fraudulent order resulted in financial losses and a waste of her employees’ time.
She sold some of the baked goods and gave the rest to customers and elderly individuals living alone, estimating her losses to be about S$900.
Source: 8world News
Mdm Luo said her shop had been open for 14 years and has always requested payment upfront for orders.
This time, however, she made an exception because they told her it was an urgent order for an “army camp,” she added.
She also found it puzzling why anybody would do this and questioned the point of wasting people’s time and energy.
Man orders 150 portions of nasi lemak for ‘army camp’
In an Instagram post on Thursday (11 Sept), a nasi lemak eatery in Novena revealed that it had also fallen for a similar ruse.
Sedap Nasi Lemak, located in Goldhill Shopping Centre along Thomson Road, said it received a call from a young-sounding guy named “Luke” on 8 Sept.
He said he urgently needed nasi lemak for 150 people for his “army camp”.
Source: Sedap Nasi Lemak on Facebook
He would collect the order at 1pm on 9 Sept — giving only one day of notice.
Police report made after no-show
When asked for an advance payment, Luke said he would need to provide “documentation” for approval before getting payment.
The eatery mobilised the whole team to prepare the order, despite the insufficient time for this “approval”, and was happy to receive such a big order.
However, on the day of collection, Luke failed to answer several calls.
The eatery realised that the order could have been fraudulent, and made a police report.
Eatery forced to throw away food
Faced with 150 packets of nasi lemak, Sedap tried to sell them at a discount.
It managed to sell 20 packets to a friend from a gym in Novena Square, and a few more to customers in the afternoon.
However, Sedap threw away the rest of the food, having no idea which charity to give it to.
Describing it as a “lesson to learn”, the eatery nevertheless seemed reluctant to accept only orders with advance payment in future.
It said that would be an “overly harsh approach” as doing business involves some degree of risk.
Fourth and fifth local businesses to receive bulk orders from ‘SAF personnel’ this week
Yi Jia Bakery House Cafe and Sedap Nasi Lemak are the fourth and fifth local businesses to come forward about allegedly fraudulent bulk orders this week.
Earlier this week, Muhammad Shazain Faiha Muslim Food Paradise in Tiong Bahru Market said someone had ordered 150 packets of nasi biryani.
The stall said he mentioned he was an “officer” without specifying which camp he was from.
Kiki Florist in KAP Mall and Breaditation Bakery in Jalan Besar said they were contacted by someone claiming to be from “Bedok Camp”, just like Yi Jia Bakery.
All five businesses ended up being ghosted, they said.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Sedap Nasi Lemak on Facebook.
