An eatery in Joo Chiat has accused a female diner of paying for meals with fake PayNow screenshots for over two years.
As a result, they have lost more than S$4,600, causing the owner of the restaurant to call the police.
The diner has since been believed to be placed under arrest, with the restaurant considering alternative payment methods.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the owner of Home of Seafood in Joo Chiat, Bob, said that diners are able to pay for their meals with PayNow.
After doing so, they have to send a screenshot of the transfer to the eatery for verification via WhatsApp. The eatery will then process the order.
About two weeks ago, his new accountant checked their financial statements and discovered that the restaurant had not received any money from a female diner despite her sending a screenshot.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Upon further investigation, the accountant realised that the customer had purchased 35 meals from their eatery in the same manner for the past two years — by sending inauthentic screenshots of PayNow transactions.
The price of her meals would range from S$50 to S$200.
“After two years of eating like this, we lost more than S$4,600,” Bob added.
He further noted that the screenshots the diner had sent seemed so realistic — even the fabricated timings on them.
“We can’t tell it’s fake right now,” he said.
Bob has since handed the matter over to the police. In response to Shin Min Daily News’ queries, the police confirmed that they received a report and are investigating the case.
Bob also told Shin Min Daily News that his previous accountant was not thorough enough in his duties.
As he had not been careful in verifying the payments, the situation was left unchecked.
“Our new accountant came just last month, and I asked her to recheck the accounts, and only then did I find any omissions,” he said.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the customer responsible for the offences is now believed to be under arrest.
Bob shared that verifying payments via PayNow for online orders is often complicated. This requires them to log into the company’s bank account to check if the transaction has been successful.
He added that his eatery is now exploring whether they can simplify the process or replace it with other payment methods. However, for the time being, they do not plan to remove PayNow as a viable form of payment.
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Featured image adapted from Home of Seafood and Shin Min Daily News.
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