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‘Scammer’ in Edmund Chen case allegedly conned others

SINGAPORE — At least two other people have lodged police reports against the same woman who allegedly cheated actor Edmund Chen of S$11,000.

Edmund Chen at Klapstar Boutique Hotel. Chen had hosted a "sharing session" to allow others who have lodged police reports against an alleged scammer to speak out. Photo: Sonia Yeo

Edmund Chen at Klapstar Boutique Hotel. Chen had hosted a "sharing session" to allow others who have lodged police reports against an alleged scammer to speak out. Photo: Sonia Yeo

SINGAPORE — At least two other people have lodged police reports against the same woman who allegedly cheated actor Edmund Chen of S$11,000.

One man, a general manager at an investment holding company that manages the wholesale and retail distribution of footwear and lifestyle products in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, claimed he was scammed of $50,000, and had lodged a report in 2015.

In 2014, the man, who wanted to be known as Mr Santoso, started an artiste and event management company called Phios with the woman.

Speaking to TODAY following a press conference organised by Chen on Tuesday (April 18), Santoso said the woman was “mismanaging funds”.

According to Santoso, 27, he invested an initial sum of S$40,000 with the company. The money was meant to be for organising a concert, which never materialised. The woman handled payments to vendors engaged by the company. Santoso handed her S$10,000 to deposit into the company’s bank account for payment to vendors. However, he claimed, the vendors did not receive their payments. After consulting lawyers, he filed a police report in 2015.

Also present at Chen’s press conference was another alleged victim, who gave his name as Mr Kee.

Kee, who runs a manufacturing business, claimed he was cheated of S$30,000 by the same woman and he, too, filed a police report in March 
this year.

The woman was a personal friend of Kee’s, and in 2015, she had convinced him to invest in a project for an artiste management company she had set up. The project never happened, claimed Mr Kee, and the woman promised to pay him back the full sum of his investment.

But last year, she stopped responding to his phone calls, messages and emails. He then decided to file a police report against her in an attempt to get his money back.

Police confirmed that the reports against the woman were lodged. 
TODAY understands that several other police reports have also been lodged against this woman.

Chen shared his story on Facebook on April 10, but it was not until April 14 that he decided to lodge a police report. “I did not intend to file a report initially,” he said. But his Facebook followers encouraged him to do so. Also, some were sceptical about the validity of his claims, which compelled him into action, he said.

“I was surprised that so many other people came forward to share their stories of being cheated by the same person,” he said.

Chen claims that the woman, aged 30, had got close to Chen and his family, including his wife, Xiang Yun, and his daughter, 17-year-old Yi Xin.

Sensing that she had financial problems, Chen claims that he gave her red packets amounting to some S$11,000. The woman then allegedly began to work unofficially for him to pay off the debt, said Chen. He claimed that she began to represent him in public relations matters having to do with his Little Red Dot book. Eventually, she supposedly took over his Facebook account, and began to agree to him appearing at events, without his prior consent.

Chen eventually asked her to stop representing him, he said. But according to Chen, she continued to solicit business on his behalf.

In a Lianhe Wanbao report on April 12, the woman, who went by the name of Miss H, denied Chen’s claims.

“She has openly accused me of lying,” said Chen. “I want to clear my name.”

“I hope I can prevent this from happening to another victim.”

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