Bogus HDB/BCA official arrested for cheating the elderly

[Sun Jian]

Bogus HDB/BCA official arrested for cheating the elderly
By Natalie Balakrishnan | Posted: 10 June 2010 2325 hrs
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SINGAPORE : Police have arrested a 49-year-old Chinese man suspected of impersonating an official to con the elderly into changing their toilet windows.

The police said the suspect conned his victims into believing he was an official from the Housing and Development Board or Building and Construction Authority.

The man allegedly used this identity to persuade the victims to change their toilet windows.

The police said after they had handed over advance cash payments, he allegedly issued an invoice and assured them that someone would be there to install the windows in a few days.

However, the job was not done and the suspect was uncontactable. He was arrested in Aljunied Crescent on Wednesday. A fake HDB pass was also recovered from the suspect.

He will be charged in court on Friday with cheating. If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

- CNA/al

 

[zuoom]

finally. that's good.

far too often we hear about these sort of outright cheating cases.

another type is those that charge high prices for something very cheap. ie: the aluminum rivets that needs to be changed to stainless steel type. something like over $200 bucks instead of the usual $50 thereabout.

http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/HomeMaintSafetyReq?OpenDocument

As a general guide, the maximum indicative rates are $40 (excluding GST) for checking windows (including transportation cost) and $1 each (excluding GST) for changing a rivet.

BCA website on windows safety.
http://www.bca.gov.sg/Windows_safety/windows_faqs.html

most were old people who dun quite know how to read n write, and the salesman/contractor would use high pressure method or sometimes even impersonate official personnel etc.

many of those folks are not rich to began with, and $200 over is a huge sum to them. even though the job is eventually done, it's not right to make those folks pay so much.

 

[jw5]

Scumbags are not only greedy, but unscrupulous.
If they really had guts, they should go to landed properties and try to con the millionaire owners into changing their doors and windows.
Instead, these balless bastards have no qualms in trying to con the elderly and possibly not so well educated people, who may not be much richer than they are.