So, it’s almost durian season and you can’t wait to hog on them, but beware of these door-to-door durian scammers in Singapore!
Durian scammers in Singapore
This Singaporean husband and wife learnt their lesson the hard way. Husband Eugene Lau wrote in a Facebook post last night, “Some b******* came to our place today and tried to sell some durians to my wife for $15 per durian, claiming that it was MSW quality.”
The poor unsuspecting wife agreed, and before she could ask any further questions, these ‘salesmen’ had already cut open 6 durians! What’s more, they now demanded that she pay them $15 per kilo, “instead of per durian, and insisted that she had misheard them. Next, they took out a weighing scale and wanted my wife to pay $385 bloody dollars – that’s 23kg worth of durians! Where is the rest of my durians?!” asks Eugene.
PHOTO: FACEBOOK/EUGENE LAU
Thankfully, the wife sensed that something was amiss, and refused to pay up. “She called me immediately and I followed up by calling the police”, he writes.
Sensing trouble, these durian salesmen fled the scene saying they would be back for payment upon the husband’s return. They never did.
Not the first scam case in Singapore
Unfortunately, this is hardly the first durian scam in Singapore. Many others have previously reported of being duped by such sellers.
Then there has also been cases of fund raising scams, where sellers sell goods on the pretext of raising funds for charity. This writer was once approached by 3 teens who claimed to be selling ice cream to raise funds for a noble cause. She was shocked to hear them mouth insults when they got turned down!
In today’s times, the line between real and fake is increasingly getting blurred. Scammers are constantly coming up with creative and innovative ways to trick people. What can we do to stay ahead of them?
- Beware of dirt cheap prices. Always remember the golden rule that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- It is best not to entertain such door-to-door salesmen, as one, you can never be sure of the quality or source of the food they sell. Then, there are safety concerns. As Eugene writes, “They were standing outside my door refusing to leave as they had already opened up the durians, with a knife in their hand.”
So if you suspect serious trouble, just shut the door and call the police.
- Be wary of giving away your personal details, IC number, bank account details etc.
- According to The Straits Times, a direct seller of goods should have an A4-size street hawking licence from the National Environment Agency (NEA) or a Direct Selling Association of Singapore (DSAS) logo on his business card if he is a DSAS member. A charity fund raiser should have a licence issued by either the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) or the police.
Also READ: Singapore mum buys baby product online. What happened next is disappointing!
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