A woman in Singapore was asked to hold on to “gold ingots” for safekeeping, in exchange for S$4,000.
However, she realised she had been scammed when the “gold ingots” were revealed to be fake.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Three men have been arrested in connection with this case.
In a news release on Friday (21 June), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said the incident took place on Wednesday (19 June) at about 1pm.
It started when two men approached a woman along Tras Street in Tanjong Pagar.
They said they found gold ingots while digging the ground at an unknown area here.
They also claimed that they wanted to send the ingots back to China but were unsure of the legal process in Singapore.
Thus, the men asked the woman to help them safekeep the ingots in exchange for S$4,000 as collateral.
To convince her, they showed her a document with old Chinese writings that resembled an old will, as well as a small gold ingot piece.
The woman brought the ingot piece to a goldsmith shop along Eu Tong Sen Street and found that it was genuine.
However, the men took back the genuine ingot piece after it was authenticated and gave her fake gold ingots.
Source: Singapore Police Force
They then told her to hand them S$4,000.
Later, the woman went to the same goldsmith shop to authenticate the “gold ingots”.
She found out that they were fake and she had been scammed.
As the two men had left the scene, she called the police.
The SPF, who received the report at about 3.15pm, managed to establish the identity of the two men using PolCam images and CCTV footage.
They arrested them along Aliwal Street on 20 June.
After further investigations, a third man — an accomplice of the other two — was arrested.
Police also seized more than 80 pieces of mini gold-coloured ingots, a piece of paper with Chinese writings on it and six gold-coloured mini Buddha statues.
Source: Singapore Police Force
All three men, who are aged between 52 and 62, will be charged in court on 22 June.
They will be accused of conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871.
If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
The SPF advised members of the public to be wary of such scams.
Buyers should always patronise established, authorised and reputable retailers, and be wary of offers that sound too good to be true, it said.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Before making payment, it’s also adviseable to get a professional to authenticate any high-value items, SPF added.
Also read: Man in S’pore allegedly pawns fake gold ring, gets arrested for cheating
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Police Force.
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