Beware the scratch-and-win scam in Johor
by Lianhe Wanbao
13 June 2012 3:14 PM | Updated 5:29 PM
An elderly Singaporean couple lost $7,400 after falling prey to a scratch-and-win scam in Johor.
Cases like this have been reported before, where victims are first asked to take part in a scratch-and-win contest, then told to go over to a company’s headquarter to collect their prize. While at the headquarters, they are then cheated of their money.
Sixty-year-old retiree, known only as Mr Zheng, and his wife were one such couple, encountering this when they went shopping in Johor recently. Mr Zheng said that they met a teenage couple, who appeared to be students.
The couple handed him a scratch-and-win card and told him he had won RM20,000 (approximately SG$8,200). They then invited Mr Zheng and his wife to head over to their headquarters to collect the prize money.
Mr Zheng explained that the he and his wife were reluctant to go initially, but the young couple kept pleading, saying the commission they would get out of this would enable them to buy much needed computers for their schoolwork. Mr Zheng and his wife finally agreed and boarded a taxi with the couple.
In the taxi, Mr Zheng secretly took out his phone and took a picture of the two teenagers. When he reached the office, he said he began to feel dazed. A staff member there told him and his wife that they had won electronic goods instead of cash and had to pay taxes on the goods.
The staff then asked Mr Zheng and his wife to get the money for the taxes. To do that, Mr Zheng and his wife headed to Singapore, accompanied by the staff, who watched them withdraw $7,400 before returning to Johor together.
Mr Zheng said that he ‘woke up’ a few times during the process and tried to take a picture of the staff but was stopped. The elderly couple was sent back to Singapore after they handed over the money.
The police in Singapore and Johor are paying special attention to scratch-and-win scam cases.
The Singapore police force urges victims to file a police report immediately, while the Johor police say they will investigate every case. Till 12 March this year, the Singapore police has received 46 cases of scratch-and-win scams amounting to $175,000.
Police advise anyone who thinks they have been tricked to contact their local police station or their hotline at 1800-255-0000 immediately.
Source: Lianhe Wanbao, 12 June 2012.
