December 24, 2019, 08:36 PM
Residents of a local condominium banded together and raised S$780 for one of their cleaners who had been scammed of all of his savings.
A Mothership reader, who claimed to be a neighbour, shared the community’s heartwarming story with us on Dec. 24.
Savings scammed
The initiative was started by one condo resident, who reached out to his neighbours through a WhatsApp group.
According to the resident, the cleaner had received a phone call from a scammer impersonating a bank officer.
The scammer then claimed that the cleaner’s account was blocked, and the latter provided his PIN number without realising that it was a scam.
As a result, the cleaner reportedly lost S$650, and only had S$1 left in his savings.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
Appealing for compassion during the Christmas season
The resident then pointed out that for many in the group would easily spend S$50 on presents for loved ones during the holiday season, but that amount could help the cleaner and his family to put meals on the table.
He also noted that while the cleaner was telling him about getting scammed of his savings, he never once asked for money.
The resident shared his hope that other residents would also be willing to support the cleaner, as he is an important member of the community:
“I hope those of you who know me will share my compassion for the underprivileged among us and contribute a small amount toward his plight.
He is no stranger to us. He sweeps and clean to make our environment clean.”
Residents chip in
The resident then said that he would be contributing S$150, and that others who were interested to help could send their name, unit number, and gift amount to the chat, and that he would then go around to collect the money from each of them.
He added that he would suggest that the cleaner directly thank each of those who contributed.
The resident closed his appeal by thanking those who would be willing to contribute.
He also recognised that some people in the group might choose to ignore his message, thinking it was a scam, and apologised in advance for anyone who did not appreciate the spam.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
In response to the resident’s message, a number of other residents offered to contribute to the fund.
One person also said that he felt that it would be good to help the cleaner, as just a few months prior, the cleaner had gotten his belongings stolen from his e-bike.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
Throughout the rest of the day, the residents coordinated with each other to gather the cash.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
The next day, the resident updated the group with a selfie of himself and the cleaner, writing: “Picture of a grateful [cleaner’s name] receiving the 780 that some of us raised in 24hrs”.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
He shared that the cleaner had changed his bank PIN, and that he now understood that he should not give out his personal information to unknown callers.
According to the resident, the cleaner was very grateful, and kept saying “paiseh”.
Image courtesy of Mothership reader.
The resident then thanked the nine people who had donated money for their generosity and compassion, saying:
“May God grant a double portion of his blessing, grace, peace, and love to you and your family this festive season.
Merry Xmas and blessed New Year to all.”
Top image via Mothership reader.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.