Man gets scammed of S$17K by fake MAS officials, gets his money back after appealing to MP
An Yishun resident who got scammed of S$17,000 managed the rare feat of getting the full sum back after raising the matter with his Member of Parliament (MP).
He thus conveyed his heartfelt appreciation to the authorities for their help, said his MP, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, in a Facebook post last Saturday (13 June).
Source: K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook
Man felt ‘anxious & helpless’ after being scammed
The resident named Mr Goh discovered that he got scammed on 8 Dec last year, according to the letter he gave Mr Shanmugam, which was addressed to the police’s anti-scam team.
This understandably caused him to be “anxious and helpless”, he wrote.
Source: K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook
However, he was fortunate to receive guidance and assistance from the officers handling his case with support from his MP, he noted, describing their help as professional, patient and dedicated.
Man who got scammed gets money back over 3 months later
Happily, Mr Goh got back all his money on 25 March, more than three months later, he wrote.
Source: K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook
He was “especially thankful for the effort and commitment” shown by those who helped him get the funds back, he said, adding:
Your hard work, professionalism and care for members of the public truly made a great difference to me and my family.
Source: K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook
He wanted to convey this gratitude to all who were involved in his case.
Man contacted by scammers posing as MAS officials
Speaking to AsiaOne, Mr Goh said the scam started when a “Harvey Norman employee” called him and informed him that he was likely to be involved in money-laundering activities.
The 70-year-old was also asked to pay for a TV set that he did not order, and was transferred to two scammers who purported to be officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
They convinced him to give them access to his bank account for “investigations”, whereupon S$17,000 was transferred to a United Overseas Bank (UOB) account as “protection money”.
After ending the call, which lasted up to three hours, Mr Goh went to the police as he was suspicious that MAS officials would ask him to transfer money.
A month after making the police report, he attended Mr Shanmugam’s Meet-the-People session (MPS) to raise the matter with him.
Soon after, he was contacted by the police, who told him that there was a chance that his money could be recovered.
Resident fortunate to recover money: Shanmugam
In his post, Mr Shanmugam remembered speaking with Mr Goh at an MPS in December last year.
He said the resident was “fortunate” to recover his money as “many others are not”.
Source: K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook
Thus, he noted the importance of remaining vigilant towards scams, despite the number of cases decreasing.
He also thanked the Singapore Police Force for their dedication and hard work in helping victims like Mr Goh.
Also read: Man in S’pore loses S$5.5K in phone scam involving fake officials & ‘money laundering’ claims
Man in S’pore loses S$5.5K in phone scam involving fake officials & ‘money laundering’ claims
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Featured image adapted from K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook.
