A woman has reportedly apologised and paid up after being accused of using a fake PayNow screenshot to get S$79.60 of drinks.
The incident took place at an Yi Fang Fruit Tea outlet in Clarke Quay Central on 18 Dec, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Google Maps
Operations manager Mr Zhong (transliterated from Mandarin), told Shin Min that the woman entered the shop at 3pm when he was alone as his colleagues were on a lunch break.
She made a large order that included six drinks, totalling S$79.60.
She then left after saying she’d transferred the money via PayNow.
However, Mr Zhong checked with his boss, who said that the payment had not been received.
Thus, when the woman came back 15 minutes later to pick up her drinks, he informed her of this.
She responded by showing him what appeared to be a PayNow transfer record on her phone.
Source: Yi Fang via Shin Min Daily News
Mr Zhong had no choice but to take a photo of this image with his own phone.
The woman kept saying she had to pick up her order quickly, as her private-hire ride had arrived. She left quickly after taking her drinks.
Later, Mr Zhong found out from his boss that the store did not receive the payment.
He then realised that the image of the purported PayNow transfer record had no date and time stamp, arousing suspicions that it was a screenshot.
He told his boss that he would compensate him for the drinks, but the boss declined, saying it was a lesson learnt.
The store did however make a police report about the incident.
A new development in the case emerged, though, after Yi Fang related it to STOMP.
At about 8pm on 23 Dec, the woman returned to the store and apologised.
She claimed that her PayNow transfer was unsuccessful and did not leave without paying on purpose, Mr Zhong said.
She then made payment in full, saying she hoped the store would help retract the police report.
But the store manager said he had no way of knowing whether what she said was true, adding that the missing date and time stamp on the PayNow transfer record was “suspicious”.
After searching the Internet, Mr Zhong later found that a similar incident had taken place at a cafe in East Coast on 30 Aug 2024.
According to media reports at the time, a woman had ordered a lot of food and paid the bill by flashing a fake bank transfer record.
After the cafe posted CCTV footage online, the woman returned to apologise and pay up.
Mr Zhong noted that the woman in the East Coast cafe’s footage seemed to be carrying the same bag as the woman involved in the incident at his store, adding:
If it’s the same woman, she is a repeat offender.
Also read: Diner Pays Joo Chiat Eatery With Fake PayNow Screenshots Over 2 Years, Police Report Filed
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Featured image adapted from Yi Fang via Shin Min Daily News.
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