3 remittance officers commended for foiling impersonation scams

SINGAPORE — Suspicious of how an elderly woman seemed to be under the "control" of her "daughter" accompanying her to remit money to China, two remittance officers at a Chinatown money changer decided to stall the transaction. The move saved the 75-year-old victim from being conned of a further S$40,000.

The "daughter", a 50-year-old Singaporean who was born in China, had helped to scam the victim of S$50,000 a day earlier. The woman was arrested earlier this month and police investigation into the case is ongoing.

The two staff members at Samlit Moneychanger at People's Park Complex - Ms Novianti, 35, and Mr Sameer Malik, 27, - were among three remittance officers commended by the police on Wednesday (Sept 20) for helping to foil two "China officials impersonation scams". The third recipient was Ms Li Fang, 29, from Zhongguo Remittance, located at the same complex.

Such scams have been on the rise in recent months after dipping earlier this year, the police said. There were 24 cases in July, compared to five in June.

In the elderly woman's case, a caller claiming to be a police investigator from China had told the victim that she was a suspect in a transnational fraud. He claimed that he could expedite a probe to clear her name if the victim were to transfer a refundable deposit to a Chinese bank account.

He then arranged for the 50-year-old woman to accompany the victim, as the latter said she did not know how to remit cash overseas.

Recalling their meeting on the morning of Sept 8, when the two women went to Samlit Moneychanger, Mr Malik said he felt something was amiss after realising that the old woman would be left with only S$5,000 in her bank account, if her S$40,000 remittance request to a certain "Xu Jin" in Shenzhen were to go through.

"When I tried to ask her 'why you are sending so much of your life savings to your beneficiary', the scammer tried to interfere and said this is for the school fees for her granddaughter," said Mr Malik.

His supervisor, Ms Novianti, continued probing the two women and found many inconsistencies in their replies.

She shared with reporters the conversation she had with the duo: "You are born in China, and you are born in Singapore. You are mother and daughter?"

"Quickly, the young lady answered 'I am her god-daughter', and said the money is for her sister's daughter's school fees," Ms Novianti added.

When she overheard that the suspect was considering taking the old woman to another remittance company if there were problems at Samlit, Ms Novianti "quickly pretended to accept the transaction".

"If I don't accept this transaction and call the police, this lady's money will be gone," she said.

After the two women left, Ms Novianti called the police. When police officers went to see the elderly woman later, she admitted that she believed she would be arrested by Shanghai police if she did not follow what the caller from China told her to do. The younger woman was arrested on the same day.

TODAY understands this is not the first time that the police have caught an alleged scammer who had accompanied the victim to a remittance company.

Between January and July, a total of S$3.5 million have been lost in 81 cases involving "China officials impersonation scams", compared to 487 cases last year, which resulted in losses totalling S$23 million.

The victims of these scams are generally Chinese women aged between 20 and 49, a police spokesperson told TODAY.

As for Ms Li from Zhongguo Remittance, the Chinese national had stopped a 61-year-old victim from being cheated of S$15,000, also on Sept 8. She had observed that the woman was flustered and could not provide details on a purported property investment in China, which required her to send over "renovation fees".

Ms Li said: "She said her relative in China was managing the project, but the receiver is not her relative. She said she doesn't know the receiver personally and did not know of the progress of the renovation in China."

Investigations later revealed that the housewife was told by a "China police officer", who called through the number 86999, that her identity had been stolen and misused to traffic drugs and launder RMB290,000 (S$59,300) in Shanghai. He claimed that she needed to follow his instructions to clear her name.

The victim, who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan, said she never misplaced any of her bank cards or travelled to China. Still, she believed the caller because she thought "there are many possibilities in China", including remote identity theft.

Presenting the awards to the trio, director of the police's Commercial Affairs Department, Mr David Chew, said: "As scammers are constantly finding new ways to target and cheat their victims, the police and the public must work hand in hand to actively prevent scams ...Their efforts prevented two victims from falling prey to the criminals, and are a strong testament to the close partnership between the police and its stakeholders in fighting crime."